Vampire Weekend
by Johnny Devlyn
Summary: What would happen if Crow really were a Vampire? Totally AU beginning early Ep. 6 of Season 2. Combining my two favorite subjects: Castle and Vampires.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Okay, so I got this idea and I just couldn't let it go. I have no idea if anyone else will be interested in this piece at all, but when I had the idea to combine two of my favoritest things in the world- Castle and Vampires- I just couldn't not write this story. So yeah, this story takes place in the beginning of season two, episode 6- Vampire Weekend, obviously- and it goes AU very shortly into the Ep. It's based on the premise that Crow actually was a Vampire and some of our Favorite Castle characters get turned. I know, lame, but like I said, I couldn't not write it! Don't Hate! **

Lanie Parish prepared to remove the stake from the boy's chest. She loved her job- she loved the routine, the checklists and she loved finding those elusive little details that led to the capture of a killer. But it still amazed her, the things that people did to each other. This boy on her slab had barely begun living his life and someone had ended it with a wooden stake through his heart.

Castle walked into the room then and saw what Lanie was preparing to do. "Woh woh woh…" he called, holding up a staying hand, as he rushed toward her.

"What is wrong?" she demanded, her typical attitude fully in place.

"If he's a vampire and you pull that out," he informed her, no hint of joking in his voice. "He comes back to life."

"If he does, then we can all go home early."

She brushed him off and got a good grip again on the stake. The sound the stake made coming out of the boy's body was truly sickening, but Lanie was used to it. Castle on the other hand was looking a bit sick. To distract the poor guy, Lanie said, "See, Castle? There's no such thing as real vampires."

"You keep telling yourself that," Rick challenged, the seriousness behind his joking well masked. "And when he's reanimated, I'll just tell you 'I told you so.'"

Lanie rolled her eyes, not bothering to make a reply to that, and she turned to set the disembodied stake on a tray.

Castle, though, continued to study the body. He was staring so hard, he thought he saw the body move.

"Lanie, look!" Castle called urgently.

She turned to him, panicked and asked, "What?"

"The body just moved!"

Lanie scoffed. "Very funny, Castle."

"I'm serious!" As he watched and as Lanie turned away again, the corpse's chest rose and fell in a quick gasping breath. "It just moved again."

"Knock it off, Castle," she said, not bothering to look at him again. "You're not as funny as you look."

"Lanie, please," Rick said in a new tone, totally ignoring her jab. It was a tone that scared Lanie more than the start she'd received when Castle had barged through the door moments ago. "I saw the chest move. And look, the wound was definitely bigger a minute ago."

Lanie turned to examine the body again, not noticing any odd movements. She reached for a measuring device and held it to the wound.

Lanie frowned. "That can't be right," she muttered. She turned back to the stake and adjusted the device around the tip of the wood. Then she removed the stake and held the measurement over the wound. The hole was smaller than the stake by only millimeters, but enough to make Lanie repeat, "That can't be right."

As Lanie and Rick watched, the hole closed by another millimeter, healing itself at a rapid pace.

Both of them leaned closer to watch the wound close up even more, quickly removing all signs of trauma around the edges.

They had leaned so close to the body that when they finally looked up at each other to confirm what they were witnessing, their noses were nearly touching.

Crow's hand suddenly shot out, clamped around Lanie's neck and the woman was just able to think- in the midst of a wave of panic- _this guy's amazingly strong for a corpse_.

"Lanie!" Rick called, reaching out to claw at the hand cutting into the woman's throat.

Rick struggled to free her, feeling helpless as he watched his friend fighting for air. He barely managed to peel back a single fingertip, when the corpse's other arm shot out and slammed into Castle's chest, sending him flying across the room.

The crack of his skull hitting the tiled walls echoed through the ominous silence of the room.

Despite the pain- the throbbing ache in his head- Castle fought his own body to get back to Lanie- to help her.

He dragged himself up and moved toward the table, at the same time the corpse sat up, drawing Lanie's limp body onto the table with him.

Crow's corpse buried its face in the crook of Lanie's neck, and totally ignored Castle, who was now approaching from behind. Not knowing what else to do, Castle grabbed the heaviest object he could find- a grotesque looking saw- and bashed Crow over the head with it. But all that Castle succeeded in doing was displacing the guy's head by mere inches and eliciting a growl from the animated corpse.

When Crow finally released Lanie's body, the crack her head made as it hit the floor made Castle wince.

Crow's terrible, glowing purple eyes turned toward Castle and narrowed in anger. He lifted his hand to the back of his head- to the spot Castle had hit as opposed to the spot the tombstone had hit the night before- and when his fingertips came away bloody, Crow growled again.

"You'll pay for that," Crow promised, swinging his legs over the edge of the stainless steel bench. "In blood."

Crow hopped to the floor, completely oblivious- or uncaring- to his nudity, and began stalking toward Castle.

Rick barely noted that the gaping chest wound was nearly gone now- just a small pinkish spot of puckered skin on the boy's chest- before he realized he should run now.

But a glance at Lanie's inert body on the floor made him pause. She needed him- she needed medical attention- and Castle couldn't just abandon her with Crow. There was no way to get to her, though, except through Crow.

"What have you done to her?" Rick asked and was a bit proud of himself when his voice didn't crack.

Crow's intent gaze finally flickered away from Castle, a flash of guilt quickly crossing his face. "I needed her blood," he said. "And now I need some of yours." The guilt was totally gone now, as Crow advanced again on Castle.

Trying to think quick but unable to think of a better plan, Rick darted around Crow, desperate to get to Lanie.

But Crow was faster.

The boy's hand flashed out in an invisibly quick movement and the next thing Castle knew, Crow was choking him and pulling him closer.

Rick wasn't dumb. Shocked, yes. Surprised, in pain and scared? Yes, yes, and hell yes. Even though, in the real world, it shouldn't have been possible, Rick knew Crow really was a vampire. And he was about to steal Rick's blood, as quickly and as painfully as the boy had just taken Lanie Parish.

*.*.*.*

The morgue was silent, nothing moving, the two lone occupants barely even breathing.

Suddenly, Billy Idol's voice began belting out Hot In The City. But no one jumped at the sound; no one moved to answer the phone call.

Instead, Richard Castle lay on his back, stretched out over the stainless steel table usually reserved for the dead. His pants were missing, as well as his shirt, leaving him naked save for his dark boxer briefs. Although, Crow had been kind enough to leave behind the wallet- minus cash, of course- and phone that Castle had been carrying in his pockets. Crow had also been kind enough to relocate ME Lanie Parish from her uncomfortable, crumpled position on the floor. Fully clothed, Lanie's body was nonetheless draped over Castle's, her head pillowed on his chest.

And that was how Detective Kate Beckett found them, an hour later.


	2. Chapter 2

Kate had tried calling Castle, and was surprised and eventually worried that he hadn't called back yet; he was supposed to be asking Lanie if she was ready for them down in the morgue. True, there were times he didn't get back to her quickly, but when that happened, he was usually in trouble. So when her friend and colleague, Lanie also didn't answer, Kate really began to worry. Her first stop: the morgue, of course.

When Kate burst through the morgue doors, she saw them, getting it on right there on the slab! Kate quickly pulled up short, turning her back on the couple and shielding her eyes.

"What the hell!" she yelled.

A long moment passed, and Kate heard nothing. so she said, "I had no idea you two were even interested in each other... though I know Castle likes pretty much any one wearing a pair of breasts." Another moment passed, in which Kate followed her own line of thought rather than pay attention to the lack of response to her rambling. "I even kinda thought you were hoping _I'd_ end up with Castle, Lanie."

After that admission, she finally began paying attention to the sounds in the room and realized there were none. Not the rustle of redressing, or even the sounds of continued love making. As she listened closer, she realized she could barely even hear breathing in the room- beside her own.

Kate hesitantly turned her head to glance over her shoulder. Their feet weren't moving, so they couldn't be... could they? She looked higher, noted Rick's bare- shapely- legs and paused. Still no movement.

When she finally turned to look at them, they were both still, eyes closed. It didn't even look like they had found comfortable positions to cuddle up in; it looked more like they had been dumped on the slab. Kate glanced around the room, noted spots of blood on the far side of the table as well as on the wall behind her and deduced the two had been attacked and then moved to the table.

The surprise fading, Kate realized something serious had gone down here, and she finally burst into movement. She rushed forward and tried to check pulses for two people at the same time. Belatedly realizing that was stupid, she checked Lanie first, because the woman had blood on the neck of her scrubs while Rick didn't seem to be bleeding anywhere.

Lanie had a faint pulse, and when Kate pulled her hand away, blood stained her fingertips. She brushed away the unconscious woman's hair to find the wound, but saw nothing. Blood seemed to have just appeared from two spots on her neck, though there was no wound that would have caused the blood to appear. Kate just hoped it was someone else's, and not her best friend's blood.

When she checked Castle, it was easier to find his stronger pulse, and Kate sighed in relief. Kate quickly pulled out her cell and dialed 911.

After giving as much information as quickly as she could, Kate turned to the task of trying to wake her friends without moving them or injuring them further.

She tried simply speaking first. "Lanie? Castle? Can you hear me? Wake up!"

Next, she tried shaking. "Rick, Lanie, come on, wake up."

She hated to slap her friend, so she tried it on Castle first. If she hadn't been so panicked about them, she might have even gotten a perverse kick out of finally getting to slap Castle in the face. After one sharp tap to his cheek, nothing happened. She tried again, softer and repeatedly. "Rick, wake up! Answer me! Damn it, Ricky!"

Kate bowed her head, tears welling in her eyes. _They are not going to die_, she told herself, _and they're just injured, probably just unconscious. Head wound maybe?_

Kate began threading her fingers through Castle's hair, feeling for lumps or bumps that would indicate any cause for his current unconscious state. Nothing. Though his hair _was_ incredibly soft, especially for someone who loved hair product as much as Castle seemed to.

Kate was so intent on her task- finding a wound- that she was startled when Rick's eyes snapped open.

"Ri-" Kate began to cry, but was cut off when Castle's free hand suddenly shot out and shoved at her chest, hard enough to send her sprawling on her rump.

She gasped for air, watching- shocked- as Castle shoved Lanie's body off of his and jumped away from the table. Kate screamed when she heard the sound Lanie's body made as it crashed to the linoleum floor of the morgue.

"Castle! What are you doing?" Kate yelled from the floor.

His gaze snapped to hers, and Kate saw... something off. There was no recognition in his eyes, only a dark, hungry stare. His right foot shifted forward and when it collided with Lanie's inert form, he stopped and finally looked down at her. His eyes widened in horror- Kate noticed something wrong with his eyes- and he dropped to a crouch to lean over her. Castle brushed the curls out of Lanie's face, and then held her face almost tenderly in his hands. Kate watched bewildered, as he leaned closer and... Sniffed her. Even Castle looked confused when he finally pulled away and shifted his gaze up to Kate.

He finally said, "Kate?" His voice was deeper, a new attractive tone, that even in the middle of the weirdest hour of her life, Kate found herself drawn to.

"Castle, what's going on? What happened?"

At the sound of her voice, the confusion left his face and his gaze turned hungry again. His crouch over Lanie shifted too, and he moved closer to Kate, almost stalking, on all fours.

"Castle, what are you doing?" he didn't reply, just crawled- carefully- over Lanie and kept moving forward. "Rick?"

He just kept moving forward, stalking toward Kate. Despite years of physical fitness training and martial arts, Kate scrambled to get to her feet and back away. Rick was actually scaring her; she couldn't detect any of his usual laughter that would have given the joke away and something about his eyes seemed... off. Maybe his poker face had gotten better... she hoped.

But Rick stood when she did, none of his personality in his eyes; Kate saw nothing recognizable in there, even the color... they were glowing purple.

Kate's hand moved to her gun, unsnapped the guard, and before she could aim it at him, Castle was no long in front of her. She caught peripheral movement and her head snapped around to find Castle suddenly on the other side of the room from where he had been seconds before.

For a moment, he looked just as surprised as Kate.

Kate spun toward him, aiming her gun right at his bare- muscular- chest. Something odd was definitely going on, but Kate was scared enough that if Castle had taken a single step toward her, she didn't like to think what she might end up doing to him. Luckily for both of them, he didn't move toward her, but he seemed to be fighting his desire to draw closer to her.

"You smell SO good," Rick said, his deep, velvet voice almost a groan. His torso lurched forward, but his feet remained planted where they were. Then he added, "Like sweet, ripe fruit."

The oddity of the moment struck her and she almost smiled, despite everything. "Like Cherries?" she asked.

Rick's smile flashed for mere seconds before something dark again clouded his face. "I need to leave. I have to get _away_ from you."

"No!" Kate shouted, inexplicably hurt by his words. So as not to give him the wrong idea though, Kate demanded, "Don't move! Stay right where you are and tell me what you did to Lanie."

"Kate," he reprimanded, sounding hurt. "You know I would never do anything to harm Lanie."

"Who did, then?" She fought gravity and the voice in her head telling her how wrong this was, and continued to train the gun right on Castle's bare chest.

Rick looked confused now, and finally admitted, "I know it will sound crazy. I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't seen it for myself-"

"Just tell me who it was, Castle," Kate snapped, cutting him off.

"It was the dead guy we just brought in."

Kate fake laughed, and even then, the sound was weak. "Right. A corpse got up, and then what? Bashed you both over the head, stole your clothes and then set you and Lanie up to make it look like you were sleeping together? You're stories are getting more and more out there, Castle."

"It's true," he pleaded, finally taking a single step toward her.

"Don't come any closer!" she yelled.

And then Castle was gone. In the same instant, his body was pressed against Kate's back, one of his strong arms around her waist, the other yanking the gun from her hand and flinging it across the room. The feel of his breath on her ear and the velvet tone of his voice brought goose bumps to her skin, but she pushed those thoughts aside. His mouth was right on her ear when he told her, "I don't want to hurt you, Katie. So please stop pointing guns at me."

Kate didn't reply to his teasing. Instead, she froze, partially in fear and partially to figure out her next move. The arms around her were a lot stronger now; the Castle she knew had not been this strong just a couple of hours ago, so fighting him off was probably not an option. But she had to get away. Maybe violence?

Castle felt her tense just in time to wrap his other arm around her chest, affectively blocking her from using her arms to elbow him.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Katie," He murmured in her ear, his face very close to hers. His arms around her tightened, and Kate suddenly remembered that he was nearly nude. "I need you to help Lanie. You have to make sure she gets to a hospital. She needs blood. Lots of it."

In a very surreal moment- right in the midst of a long string of surreal moments- Kate almost considered offering her own blood, anything to keep that rich voice whispering in her ear. And then the moment passed, and she began struggling in Castle's grasp.

Suddenly, Kate went sprawling- yet again- forward this time and when she turned, Castle was gone.

**Oh, PS. I decided Rick's ring tone for Kate would be Billy Idol's Hot in the City, because Kate's hot, and they're in NY City, which is the city the song is talking about… I assume, and cause, well, I love Billy Idol! ;-D**


	3. Chapter 3

Richard Castle was in the middle of a full blown panic attack.

Remembering everything that had happened in the morgue- before and after getting knocked unconscious- he was sure he had suddenly developed schizophrenia. _No, schizophrenia is __hearing voices__. What causes delusions? Is that still schizophrenia?_ His sometimes ADD brain went off on a tangent, and instead of frustrating him because he was in the middle of trying to figure out some big issues, he was grateful for the momentary distraction.

Eventually, he had to get back to the important matters at hand that he still needed to figure out. The... _delusion_ had started as soon as he had walked into the morgue. Maybe Lanie had spilled something that had made them both hallucinate for a while?

But if that were the case, then the drug- gas, whatever it was- hadn't worn off yet, because Castle was still tripping. He was currently zipping from shadow to shadow- moving much faster than any human being should have been able to- hiding as much as he could between buildings, for two reasons: one, He was still mostly naked, and two- and was the thing that made him think he was still hallucinating- the sun was burning his skin whenever it made direct contact. He couldn't have been dreaming, he decided, or he wouldn't have felt the pain of the burns. He sure felt them though, so this had to be an hallucination.

As soon as Castle had left the precinct- by a back exit- the early morning sun had landed full on his body. The blistering pain had started shortly thereafter- well, more like instantaneously.

Remembering the pain and the wounds, and still feeling them to a small degree, Rick glanced down at his body and gasped in surprise. What had minutes before been blistered and bleeding flesh was now healing and only slightly pink.

Rick wouldn't have run out of the morgue so quickly, but he had been terrified. Not for himself, but for Kate. Her smell had been... Rick's whole body shivered in desire over just the memory of her scent. But the horrifying part had not been her fragrance, or the pleasure he found in it, but what he wanted to do in reaction to that scent. A new- disturbing- part of him wanted to crush her close, and sink his teeth into her skin, taking every drop of her fragrant blood into his body.

He hadn't known how long he could resist her scent while she was still standing in the same room with him. So he ran. And now he was making his way home, suddenly faster on foot than he had ever traversed the city in a car.

He really hoped- for the first time in his daughter's entire life- that Alexis _wasn't_ home. He was afraid of what she might smell like now.

Rick approached the building, and saw that the sun was shining full on the front door. His burns had already healed, but he _really_ didn't want to go through that pain again. He then remembered the fire escape around the other side of the building. And even though it was many feet off the ground, Castle had the odd idea that in _this_ delusion, he might be able to jump high enough to reach it.

*.*.*.*.

When Alexis arrived home from school, the loft had the feel and sounds of emptiness. And even though she knew without having to check that no one was home, she still called out, "Dad? I'm home!"

After a long pause and no response, Alexis sighed. She was very proud of her dad, even more so now that he was so involved with the police, solving crimes with Detective Beckett. But his new 'job' kept him away from home a lot more than she was used to and instead of reveling in the newfound independence, Alexis found she really missed her Daddy sometimes.

Alexis headed upstairs to change out of her school uniform, and to- sigh- start working on homework. It wasn't that she didn't like homework- sometimes she really did- it was just that her dad was usually there, trying to distract her and making actually completing her work something of a game. He made it fun. But alone... it was just homework.

Alexis was just about to sit down and start outlining an essay discussing the novel Brave New World when the house phone rang. Alexis checked the caller ID before picking up the wireless device she kept in her room.

"Hello?" she answered, feigning ignorance of the caller's identity.

"Alexis? This is Kate," the woman on the phone identified herself, not sounding her usual cheerful- at least toward Alexis- self.

"Hi, Detective Beckett. How are you?"

"Um... I'm okay. I was just wondering if you've heard from your father yet."

"No," Alexis said, trying not to worry. Her dad often went off alone, but he usually made a point to tell Alexis at least that he was going to be out. He'd left no word today, though, so her attempts at not worrying were not totally succeeding. "He's not with you? Is he okay?"

"He's fine," Kate automatically said, trying not to panic the teen. She had no idea if that statement was true, but she would do what ever she could to prevent Alexis from worrying about that. "He just left suddenly earlier, and I haven't been able to get a hold of him since then."

"I'll call his cell," Alexis offered.

"Well, the problem is, he kind of left it behind when he took off," Kate hedged.

"He left his phone?" Alexis was definitely panicking now. "He loves that phone! And he wouldn't leave me without a way to get a hold of him."

"I'm sorry, Alexis," Kate simply said, not sure how to make this any better. "I'll keep looking. As far as I know, he had something to take care of and just didn't tell me what it was."

Alexis let the reassurance work on her, taking a calming breath and admitting, "He can be like that sometimes."

"Hey, I'll keep looking for him though and I'll call you back as soon as I find him. Which I _will_." Kate was putting on a brave face now, trying to convince the teen that she was a lot more confident that she actually felt.

"Okay, thank you," Alexis replied. "I'll call Gram and ask if she's seen him. And I'll call you if I hear anything first."

"Okay, great Alexis. Thanks." Kate hesitated and then added, "I'm sure everything is fine. You know that, right?"

Alexis finally smiled, knowing that Kate was only trying to reassure her, whether or not the words were true, and she appreciated the effort. "Yeah. Thank you, Detective Beckett."

"Talk to you later, Alexis."

Both women hung up, and sighed, fighting off the worry that was threatening to overwhelm each of them.

Alexis walked across the hallway to search her father's room- carefully, in fear of some of the things she might find buried in the closet- for any clues as to where he might have gone. Hopefully she wouldn't have to look very hard.

When she got to his room, she realized she wouldn't have to search anything. Myriad family vacations had given Alexis experience with her dad's behavioral patterns. Rick liked to bring _everything_ with him on vacation, so nearly all of his many clothes saw the inside of his suit cast at least once during the packing process. And when he changed his mind about an item, it wound up on the nearest flat surface, usually the floor.

When Alexis entered his room, she saw the very clear evidence that her dad had been packing; nearly all of his clothing had been strewn around the room. She even checked, and Yes, his cases _were_ missing from his closet.

Her dad had packed up and left without her.

**PS. I read Brave New World for the first time in high school, and I actually liked it! So, Alexis gets to read it here, too! ****I know this is a terrible way to end the chapter, the next will be up soon, though! We all know Castle would never just abandon his daughter! Even if he is now undead…**


	4. Chapter 4

Kate sat at her desk, waiting. She was waiting for a call, for news on Castle and she was waiting for an idea. She had already called several people in Castle's phone directory, even the famous authors he liked to play poker with sometimes. But no one had seen- or heard from- Castle today. And they all wanted to know what had happened to him.

Kate pushed away from her desk, leaning her elbows on her knees and dropping her head into her hands. Gripping her hair in frustration, Kate stayed like that, hoping the pain to her scalp might bring the blood to her brain and help her think of something. _Anything_.

Suddenly, Freddy Mercury was singing "I'm going slightly mad! I'm going slight-ly mad!" and Kate jumped, her heart pounding wildly. That was Castle's ring tone.

Kate quickly answered the phone, and snapped, "Castle!"

After a short pause, Alexis said, "It's me."

"I'm sorry. I thought…"

"Right. I told you I'd call you if…" Alexis began slowly, her tone beginning to worry Kate.

"Have you heard from him? Is he okay?"

"No, he…"

When the girl hesitation, Kate quickly asked, "What's wrong with him?"

"I meant, no, I haven't heard from him. He's gone."

"What do you mean?"

"His clothes are all over the place and his suit cases are missing."

"He just left? Where would he go?"

Alexis took a trembling breath and said, "I don't know." With tears in her voice, Alexis asked, "Why would he leave without me?"

It broke Kate's heart to hear the pain in the girl's voice. "We should probably talk about what happened this morning. Is it all right if I come over?"

"Yes, of course." Kate could hear her sniffing, trying to get the tears under control. "What happened this morning?"

"I'm not really sure…" Kate hesitated. "We should talk about it in person, anyway. I'll be there in twenty, okay?"

"Okay. I'll see you then."

"See you soon," Kate confirmed and then hung up. She stood and grabbed her coat. As she swung the long jacket over her shoulders and got it half on, her phone rang again. It was her generic ring tone, indicating either an unknown or blocked number.

Her jacket still only half on, Kate used her free arm to snap the phone off the desk and held it to her ear. "Beckett."

"Katie, it's me," a deep voice spoke into her ear. There was that deep velvet tone again that she didn't recognize, but underlying it was the familiar voice of her favorite annoying novelist.

"Castle, where are you?" she snapped, coming straight to the point.

"I'm… I'm going after Matthew Freeman. Crow. The body we found last night. He wasn't dead and I'm going to find him. Other than that, I can't really tell you where I am."

"Why not?"

"I told you, I can't be around you. It's safer this way."

"What are you talking about, Castle?" she asked, trying to ignore the inexplicable hurt that his statement produced.

"I didn't call you to argue with you, Katie" Rick said firmly, taking a more stern tone than Kate had ever heard him use. "I wouldn't have even called if it weren't for…"

When he didn't continue, Kate asked, testily, "What?"

"I need you to do something for me. Please, Katie." He said in the most serious tone Kate had ever heard him use.

"What do you need, Castle?" she asked hesitantly.

"Alexis is home alone. She has no idea what's going on. I need you to tell her I'm okay."

"What _is_ going on, Rick?"

He totally ignored her, and pleaded, "She's home alone, Kate. Please. Will you just stay with her for a few days and make sure she's safe? I wouldn't ask you to do this if it weren't important." After a long moment of silence on both ends, he added, "Please?"

"I was actually just on my way there," she said, offhand. Then she added, more seriously, "She's scared, Rick. She saw your room and she knows you're gone."

He sighed in regret, but he just said, "Thank you, Katie. I will always owe you for this."

"Just tell me something, Rick."

"I can't tell you…"

"No, it's not that. Why do you keep calling me Katie?"

"It's your voice, every time I hear it…" he broke off and arranged his thoughts. "You know how nails on a chalk board make you cringe?" he asked but didn't wait for her to answer. "Your voice is like that, only instead if cringing, it makes me _want_…" Rick trailed off before he said too much.

"That still doesn't answer my question, Castle. Why have you been calling me Katie?"

"Because it's the sweetest endearment I could think of," he said simply, and then he teased, "If you find something better, you let me know."

_Now _that_ sounds like my Castle_, she thought. _I mean, the Castle that I know and am annoyed by_.

"Now I have a question for you. Why do you repeat my name so often?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"Nearly every other sentence you speak to me, you find a way to say my name." Rick's voice turned smooth and almost sing-song when he asked, "Do you _like_ saying my name, Detecitve?"

"I-" Kate began, but her voice broke. She couldn't think of anything to say to that anyway, so she remained silent and simply listened as Rick's deep chuckle echoed over the line.

When the alluring laugh ended, Castle became serious again. "Take care of my little girl, Katie. She needs you right now."

"I will," Kate promised.

"I'll always be in your debt."

"As soon as you can, you just tell me what's going on. Then we'll be even. Okay?"

"We'll never be even, Katie," Rick's voice burned with emotion and Kate was suddenly reminded of the feel of his breath on her ear just hours ago. Kate shivered at the memory as Castle added, "but I'll tell you as soon as I can."

"Okay," she replied, her voice oddly breathy.

Then Rick hung up, and Kate slowly finished putting on her jacket. She noticed that her heart was beating faster and her face felt awfully warm.

_What the hell is going on?_ She wondered. First a body goes missing, her friends are injured, then Castle attacks her, and now, she thinks she's beginning to understand what Castle was trying to say a moment ago when he told her he _wants_…

Kate was beginning to _want_ too. And the feeling was produced just by the sound of his voice? She was almost afraid to see him again now, too.

Kate shook her head to clear it and remembered Alexis. Luckily, Kate kept an overnight bag in her car, so she could drive straight to Rick's apartment to be with the girl. She still had to figure out what she was going to tell Alexis; Kate had no idea herself, what was really going on.

**Oh, PS. I also love Queen and I thought Slightly Mad was the perfect song Beckett might choose as Castle's theme song, don't you think? Unless you think there is something better out there?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: I'm sorry this took so long! I had hoped to have this story finished by Halloween, cause it kind of fit the theme of the 'holiday.' But my classes this semester have me SO busy! I'm taking the CSET this Saturday; it's a big test in the course of getting my degree, so I've been a little preoccupied studying. No excuse, I'm just ranting a little. I hope everybody had a happy and safe Halloween, and if you don't celebrate and/or have no idea what I'm talking about, I still hope you had a Happy Sunday! The next chapter will be up soon!**

Enough time had passed and enough odd things had happened, that Rick was finally sure he wasn't delusional.

Running from the precinct to his loft had taken minutes. Jumping up and climbing the fire escape had been _too_ easy. Even breaking open the locked door on the roof of his building had taken a simple twist of his wrist. Though he'd clearly been able to hear traffic on the street- _three_ floors down- he hadn't heard anything from inside the loft… well, apart from the hum of myriad electricity-run gadgets and appliances. But it was clear there was no one home.

Rick held his breath the entire time he was inside his apartment, afraid of what he might smell. The scents of people back on the street had been… mouthwatering, and he didn't want to feel that sensation in connection to his family. He even managed to do everything he needed to do and hold his breath the entire time. He'd left the loft well before Alexis was due home from school. After that, he set himself up at an SRO he'd come across when he'd first started shadowing Detective Beckett. No one would look for him there.

Finally, he went back to the precinct to begin tracking the scent the former-corpse had left behind when it had run off. He wasn't worried about Lanie; somehow, Rick had known she was going to be fine. He could simply tell just by her scent. She hadn't smelled anything like Kate, she'd smelled more like that undead corpse than anything else. Somehow, Rick knew that she'd be fine; she just needed to replace the blood that had been stolen. So Rick was tracking him down.

Which was how he found his way to 'Crow's' apartment. Or Matthew Freeman, according to the art school application Rick found.

The tiny apartment was dark and filled with disturbing artwork. Suddenly, every psychology text Rick had ever read came back to him, and just by looking at the artwork, he was able to come up with a profile: Crow had witnessed something terrible and it all centered on the woman depicted as an angel in nearly every piece of art. All Rick needed to know now was why Crow had been staked in the cemetery? Had someone found out that he really was a vampire?

_Wait_, Rick thought. _Vampires _don't_ exist_. He was still trying to convince himself, but he looked down at his own hand- all of his childhood scars erased from the now pale skin- and he sighed in defeat.

"I'm a vampire," he muttered aloud.

Rick wandered the small space, just taking everything in. he had the hunch his memory had improved along with his physique, so he didn't' bother taking notes.

A sudden hunger pang made him grimace.

Ever since he'd woken up on the slab, hunger pains had come and gone. But Rick had ignored them as best he could, afraid of what he hungered _for_. Every person he passed, every fragrance he caught drifting off of them, smelled like a delicious, five star meal. The hunger would return then- painfully- and make his mouth water.

Rick had never harmed another person in his life! Even in bar fights as a rowdy college student, Rick never threw a punch at another guy- he just protected his pretty face when necessary and tried to break up the two guy who actually were fighting. So how was he suddenly just supposed to start biting people to feed himself? And if he couldn't find a way to control himself, how was he supposed to protect his daughter and keep her safe- even from himself?

_Well, that's what I'm trying to figure out_, Castle decided. So he was keeping his distance from Kate- and especially Alexis- until he could figure out what he was going to do- how his life was going to change.

An intriguing smell in the kitchen brought Castle up shot. It was very faint, almost the memory of a smell more than an actual fragrance. And it drew Rick to the fridge like a siren song.

There on the top shelf of the fridge, bags of blood sat waiting for him.

Without really deciding to move, Castle grabbed a bag and crushed it to his mouth, his teeth easily breaking through the plastic. The cool liquid slid down his throat and felt so good when it hit his stomach that he paid no attention to the taste. But by the third bag, the taste made Castle grimace. Well, not the taste so much as the temperature. On the fourth bag of blood, the temperature made Rick gag. But the relief in his stomach made him swallow the cold blood anyway.

After that, Castle left quickly- taking a couple bags of blood for later- and went back to his rented room. That was when Rick had called Kate, asking her to look after Alexis. Just the sound of her voice had affected him, calling him to go to her.

Rick laid back on his bed and considered. After drinking his stolen blood, the hunger pains had disappeared. He'd caught the scent of many people on the trip back and he hadn't been overcome by any urges to kill anyone he passed.

Rick _thought _he could go check on Kate and Alexis- tonight after they were asleep- and it would be okay. Maybe he'd bring a bag of blood with him, just in case.

First though, he had someone to check on, even if he wasn't really worried about her.


	6. Chapter 6

It was still early evening when Kate and Alexis had dinner together, while watching a movie. They didn't talk very often- neither was quite sure what to say in the current situation- but it was a comfortable silence.

Half way through the movie, Kate's phone rang and Alexis paused the big screen TV.

"Beckett," Kate answered.

She listened for a long moment, and finally said, "Really? That's great!" she paused again and added, "Yes, Alexis Castle and I will be there in fifteen."

Alexis jumped up and asked, "was that about my dad?"

Kate had already told the girl what Castle had said and everything that had happened that morning- as objectively as she was able- but Alexis was obviously still hoping for anther word. "No… I'm sorry Alexis. That was about Dr. Parish- Lanie. She just woke up."

Alexis _was_ disappointed, but she was able to put that aside and smile, still happy that one of her dad's friends was going to be alright. "That's great," Alexis smiled happily and Kate didn't detect any force behind the expression.

_She's a very genuine person_, Kate concluded. "Would you mind gong with me to visit her? I'd really like to see if she's well enough to talk about what happened this morning."

"I won't be in the way?" Alexis worried.

Kate smiled and decided to make a joke, trying to lighten Alexis's mood. "It's your _father_ who likes to get in the way. I'm sure you'll be fine."

Alexis smiled at the joke, fully aware of the commonly held idea that fifty percent of every joke is truth. "Okay."

"Besides, I'd tell you what she said anyway. Your dad was there, too. Having you with us will save me having to repeat the story." Kate regretted saying that the minute the words left her lips- it sounded so callous- but Alexis accepted it graciously

She smiled and said, "I'll go grab a coat."

Within the time quoted, the pair was walking into Lanie's hospital room.

Lanie smiled when she saw Kate, but looked surprised when she noted Alexis there, too.

"Alexis!" Lanie said. "What…"

Kate answered for her, "Rick has gone MIA after everything that happened this morning. She's here to hear what happened."

Lanie frowned, looking down. "I'm afraid I won't be much help. I think I missed a lot of what happened after the… after I was… unconscious."

"That's fine," Alexis stepped in, and Kate was impressed. Especially when the girl added, very diplomatically, "Are you well enough to tell us what you _do_ remember?"

"Yeah, I feel fine. My girl Beckett here always did say I got a hard head."

"And what do you know, it looks like I was right," Kate teased. "So, what happened?"

Lanie studied her hands, clasped over the blanket in her lap. While they let Lanie collect her thoughts, the other two women found places to sit, Alexis taking the only chair in the room and Kate sitting right on Lanie's bed.

"I just remember getting a body, doing all the usual autopsy things when he first came in. And then, while I was preparing to remove the stake, Castle came in and told me to stop. He started spinning one of his asinine tales, so of course I called him an idiot and removed the stake anyway. Then Castle started freakin' out, sayin' the body was moving. And when I looked, the chest wound was healing. Next thing I know…" Lanie hesitated, troubled.

"What happened next?" Alexis prompted

"_I_ can't even believe it. How could I expect you to believe me?"

Lanie nodded and thought back. "The next thing I knew, the corpse's hand flew up and started choking me. Castle tried clawing the guy's hand off me, but then the other arm shot out and pushed Castle. The last thing I heard and saw was Castle flying to the wall and cracking his head on the tiles. Then I passed out."

"So the guy wasn't dead?" Kate asked, trying to rationalize.

"He had to have been," Lanie insisted. "Half the tests I ran would have killed him if he'd been alive."

"So he came back to life," Kate concluded, but she couldn't hide all the skepticism in her voice.

"I told you you wouldn't believe me."

"But what could you possibly have to gain from lying to us?" Alexis asked, in her way defending Lanie. Both of the older women looked to Alexis, shocked. "I believe you, Lanie. So what do _you_ think happened?"

"I had thought his teeth were ceramic veneers. But when I tested them… they were his real teeth."

While Kate struggled to find the right response to that, Alexis asked, "Do you think, then, that he might actually be a vampire?"

Both of the older women again looked at Alexis in shock, and when Lanie made eye contact with aleixs, the girl thought she saw glowing purple sparkles in the dark eyes.

When Lanie finally recovered, she said, "But that's impossible. Vampires don't exist."

"Why? Because 'they'- whoever 'they' are- _tell_ us vampires don't exist?" Alexis argued her point, not sounding like she was joking at all. "And after everything that happened today, can you two really tell me you're one hundred percent certain that they don't?"

Neither adult answered, just stared at Alexis, dumbfounded.

"It makes the most sense," Alexis concluded. "This guy who attacked you and my dad must have been a vampire and I think my dad has been… turned? Infected? What ever. There's no way he'd leave me alone like this if not for some emergency he felt necessitated the separation. Detective, I think you should tell Dr. Parish what happened to you."

Kate paused to look stunned as Alexis's words- and the truth behind them- began to sink in. A moment later she described her encounter with Castle and ended by saying, "After that, the ambulance came and took Lanie and me to the hospital. As hard as you cracked your head, I expected you to have a concussion, but your doctor told me there was barely even a bruise on you… anywhere."

"Must be the hard head," Lanie joked, making Kate smile, however briefly.

"You said my dad was moving super fast?" Alexis asked.

"It was so fast, I didn't even see him move. He was just in one place one second and then he was across the room in the next."

Alexis looked troubled but she had come to a conclusion. "I guess my dad must be a vampire then."

There wasn't much for any one to say after that, so the three women wrapped up their visit and Kate and Alexis headed back to Chez Castle.

**A/N: this one is short, as will the next one be. But that just means they'll be up sooner, right? Right. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So, the test is over! And I have no idea how I did, and I won't find out for another twenty days! Gah! Next chapter will be up soon, though. It's already typed, just needs proofreading.**

**So, of course I loved the Twilight novels, but there are actually people out there who didn't! Well, at least they hate vampire stories so they didn't even read the books *cough* Mom! *cough* ****( you'll see what I mean in the first part of this chapter)**

Castle had just missed Kate and Alexis by minutes, Lanie had told him. He'd stopped by to check on her and compare thoughts on that morning.

He was _very_ surprised though when he was told that Alexis was the one who had concluded he was a vampire.

"She's so level headed, I had no idea she'd be so willing to accept that vampires actually exist," Castle mused aloud. "She didn't even read Twilight because she said she thought supernatural fiction was too 'juvenile.'" Rick used air quotes to indicate his daughter's mocking tone when she'd put-down the popular novels.

"She's an amazing kid," Lanie concluded. "I'm sorry, I meant 'young lady.'"

Rick smiled fondly and confirmed, "Yes, she definitely is." Then his expression clouded. "Did she seem scared or upset when she realized...?"

Lanie thought a minute, taking Rick's question seriously and giving it the thought she knew he needed. "No, not upset, exactly. Definitely not _scared_. More... worried, I guess. She just seemed to want you back home more than anything."

"Well, that's a good sign."

Lanie smiled at him when she realized just how much he adored his daughter. But he was still too preoccupied with thoughts of his only child to notice Lanie's expression.

Finally she had to ask him, "When did your eyes turn purple?"

Rick blinked several times, as if by blinking them, he could see their new, strange color. "I don't know," he finally said. "It must have been this morning."

"You think it has anything to do with becoming a vampire?"

Rick nodded slowly, "It must. Your eyes are purple, too."

"What?" Lanie snapped, sitting up in bed.

"Well, not completely purple," he amended. "But when the light hits them just right, they sparkle purple. Maybe there was something in the vampire blood we were given that made our eyes change color."

"Why do you think there's such a difference? Your eyes are, like, glowing. Could it simply be original eye color?"

"Maybe."

Lanie added, "I had more injuries than you. Maybe the majority of the blood I was given was used to repair the damage to my body so less went to make my eyes glow."

Rick nodded, thinking about it. "That makes a lot of sense. Maybe the blood didn't change you, it only healed you."

This time, Lanie nodded. "I don't feel any different."

"Well, neither do I, except for the thirst. Well, what I thirst _for_ anyway. And I have a better memory. And I'm faster and stronger and I can feel it vibrating in my muscles and bones... okay, maybe I do feel different," he concluded, smiling.

Lanie smiled back and said, "I think I'm right. Either I got less blood than you, or it only went to heal me, but I don't think it changed me any."

Rick nodded, not sure what to say. On the one hand, he was happy that Lanie's life could go back to normal once she left the hospital. But Rick had been comforting himself with the thought that even if he had changed, at least he wouldn't be going through it alone. Now, it looked like he would be. Which just made him need to find Crow all the more.  
Soon, he said goodbye to Lanie and promised her that he'd speak to Kate and Alexis soon, as well as return to visit her in the hospital again.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Castle made his way silently through his quiet apartment, amazed at how little noise he was making. Considering his new, improved hearing as well, his silent footsteps seemed even more impressive. He even avoided the creaks and groans natural to any stair case.

So far, the scents of the loft had been bearable. Nothing seemed to make him want to go on a rampage, but when he paused outside his daughter's door, he held his breath. Better safe than sorry, he thought. But that defeated half the purpose of this errand, so before touching her door, he sniffed it, tentatively. He smelled something flowery and sweet, but still nothing to make him hungry.

Rick slowly opened Alexis's bedroom door, tensed for any tasty scents. Still just flowers and sweetness and just enough of something that smelled like himself that marked the girl as his offspring. That genetic half of her that had come from him still smelled like him. He idly wondered how much of that flower smell had come from Meredith.

Rick slowly approached the great, girly, purple bed in the center of the room. His eyes didn't even need to adjust; he clearly saw Alexis, curled up on one side, her palms pressed together and resting just below her cheek.

Rick inhaled slowly in and out and simply enjoyed the scent of his child. He remembered back to the smell of her baby shampoo and how her nearly bald head had smelled so wonderful after a bath. He would never admit it to anyone, but he'd always believed that one of the most amazing smells in the world was Alexis's hair just after a bath when she was a baby. Her scent now, though, was just as comforting. He felt silly for worrying that she'd suddenly smell like food to him now.

There was no tempting fragrance here, just his child who needed her Dad to come back home. And he would, soon, he decided. There was no danger to Alexis if he did.

Rick leaned over her bed, and pressed a soft kiss to his 'little girl's' forehead. She mumbled nonsense in her sleep and made her dad smile at how cute she still was.

Time to go, he decided as Alexis began to turn over. He didn't want to spook her should she happen to wake.

He knew Kate was spending the night, so he paused outside the guest bedroom and listened for a moment. He couldn't hear any noise from within, but he wasn't sure he should check on her as he had Alexis, mostly because there would be nothing altruistic behind the gesture. And he knew it would be creepy, watching her sleep without her knowing; it would be very different than checking on his daughter. Though, he needed some things from his room, so he finally stopped staring at Kate's door and went to his bedroom.

He was halfway through to his closet when he realized his mistake and the fragrance permeating the large room brought him to a dead stop.

Rick's eyes moved before his head and easily spotted Kate, stretched out under his dark sheets. His feet moved without him willing them to, and he stood over the bed, studying her shape outlined by the soft material. She was on her front, arms and legs all stretched toward a different corner of the big bed. And the sheet she wore only covered her to mid-back, allowing Rick to see that she wasn't wearing a top... in _his_ bed. And by the look of the seamless flow of sheet over her body, she wore nothing else under it.

For a long time, he studied the soft, flawless skin of her back, wishing very hard that she would turn over. Although he knew she'd be pissed if she knew he'd seen her topless. He's deal with her anger, he decided, he just kept hoping she'd...

Kate began to stir, but Rick was too foggy headed to realize he should probably hide now. Luckily, Kate didn't wake; she just turned over in her sleep and got comfortable again. One leg went straight, the other bent almost into a yoga pose. Her arms curved up, over her head, provocatively- at least for Rick- displaying her bare chest.

In a second of rational thought, Rick closed his eyes, aware briefly of how wrong this situation was becoming. Yes, this was _his_ house, and _this_ was his own bed, but Kate hadn't expected him to be here. He knew Alexis had probably forced her to sleep in here, knowing the guest bed wasn't nearly as comfortable as this one. And possibly finding perverse pleasure in forcing Kate to sleep in his bed- the fact that he wasn't also there was completely irrelevant to the teen.

Rick took a deep, calming breath and grimaced; her sweet, cherry scent only fanned the flames of his desire.

With eyes still closed, he reached out and found the corner of the sheet, dragging it up to cover her breasts- hopefully, though _hope_ might be the wrong word. When he opened his eyes, she was 'decent'- though the thin material, and his memory, left little to the imagination.

He stared down at her, studying her hair, her face, the outline of her body and thought about how much he had always wanted to make love with her. How could she not see his Nikki Heat novels for what they were: extra long love letters- wish fulfillment?  
Oh, how he wished so hard, every night, that she'd see what he was still trying to tell her on paper: he loved her.

Rick was in love with her mind, her body. How clever she was, now independent and sexy. Would she ever see? Rick almost wished she'd open her eyes and see him there, and finally see how much he wanted her.

Just then, her eyes did open- slowly and blinking heavily- and she sat up. The carefully adjusted sheet fell away from her, exposing her breasts again and this time, he couldn't help it: he stared.

_Let me in_, he pleaded silently. _Please, let me in_.

Her eyes- more closed than open- blinked up at him, and she reached out. Rick must have been closer than he realized because she didn't have to reach very far. Kate's hand fisted in his shirt and pulled. She lay back again, pulling him down with her, guiding him... right on top of her.

He held himself up, over her, and studied her in surprise. "Kate..." he began, but she cut him off.

She lifted her head to his and kissed him. Every fantasy he'd just had went flying out the window as the reality of Kate touching him blew them away. Her small hands snaked up under his shirt and over his back. Then down over his butt, where she squeezed and pulled his body against her own.

Rick couldn't have stopped them now if he tried- his hands finally moved to touch her breasts and caress every curve he'd just seen outlined under his sheets.

As he kissed her, he felt every part of her body pressed against his own, her leg moving against his hip. He thought about her legs- those long beautiful legs he'd just seen glimpses of in the past and realized they were now moving against him. His hands delved beneath the sheet and ran as far down her body as he could, and when he cold reach no further, he wrapped his hand around her thigh and hitched her leg up, around his waist. He turned his upper body a little to continue his exploration of her long slim leg.

All the while, her fresh, luscious scent intoxicated him. He wanted... he wanted to consume her and make her body a part of his own. The thought startled him so much, he broke away, panting, and looked down at her. Kate's eyes were closed and she was breathing quickly also. Her lips were parted and kiss-swollen, looking like the most ripe fruit he could spend hours just tasting. The graceful lines of her neck were strained, and Rick wanted to taste them too.

As soon as Rick had the thought, Kate turned her head, almost as if she could hear him thinking it. He studied her skin for a long moment, luminous with a light sheen of sweat and nearly glowing in the dim light. Even in the near dark room, he could see the pale veins snaking beneath her skin, pulsing with the scent he so wanted to taste. Kate's hands, currently caressing his chest under his shirt, moved around his body and pressed against his back, urging him closer. She arched her back then, when he hesitated, pressing her breasts into his chest, her head still turned to one side.

The scent and the invitation drew Rick irresistibly closer. He put his mouth on the cord of her neck, sliding his lips over her soft skin, enjoying the texture. He could even feel her heart pulsing through her veins. His lips parted to feel the soft beat with his tongue, and he thought he could taste the blood within. Rick sucked gently and Kate moaned. It was the sexiest sound he had ever heard and at the same time he pressed his hips down into her, his teeth carefully penetrated her skin.

Kate gasped, but Rick barely heard. He was caught up in the taste of her, better than anything he had ever had before; it was almost orgasmic in its pleasurable flavor.  
The first waves of sensation passed, letting Rick appreciate all the subtler aspects of Kate's blood and body, and as he focused again on _her_ he realized something disturbing: Kate was currently trying her hardest to push him away and she was too weak to move him- or he was now too strong to be moved. There was something satisfying as a man to know that he was now stronger than her, but he'd never had to force himself on a woman in the past and he wasn't about to start now- not with _this_ woman. So he allowed Kate to push him away, holding himself over her on outstretched arms.

Kate's eyes were finally open and Rick realized that up till now, she hadn't been awake. Her eyes were shocked and terrified and made Castle feel like he'd just done the worst thing he could have ever done to a woman.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So cliff hangers make for great reading, but I know I hate having to wait too long for them, so this next chapter is up today. And it gets a little mature here, so I changed the rating. **

Rick couldn't speak. He wanted to apologize, to tell her how sorry he was that he'd hurt her and tell her how ashamed he felt that he'd forced himself on her, but all he could do was repeat, again and again, in his mind, _I'm sorry_.

Some of the fear left her eyes and confusion replaced it. "I can hear you- what you're thinking," she whispered, confused and a little in awe. She was trying to make sense of what was happening. Trying to explain everything more to herself than to Rick, her words flowed quickly but quietly as she sought logic in this illogical situation. "In my mind. I could hear you the whole time. I was dreaming about you; you were standing over me as I slept and you noticed that I'd slept in your bed naked, and that I'd done so just for you. And then you told me to turn over, and I could feel what you were feeling, how excited you were becoming, as you waited, hoping I'd obey you. When I did, I could tell you were ashamed for seeing me this way, because you didn't think you had my permission. So I stretched my arms above my head for you, silently giving my acceptance of your gaze, but you closed your eyes. Then you covered my breasts, when all I really wanted was your mouth to cover them." Rick drew a sharp breath at that admission and had to remind himself that she was describing a dream. Though, she had been dreaming about _him_. After a short pause, she continued, marveling, "And then you told me you love me. You began listing everything about me that you loved, and it made me want you- want to make love with you. When you asked me to let you in, I shouted 'yes,' and I finally moved to touch you. I grabbed your shirt and when you came down on top of me, the dream became so real, I thought I could actually feel your weight on me." Kate's brows furrowed for a moment and she concluded, "I guess that part _was_ real."

"I'm so sorry, Katie," he finally found his voice and the depth of his feeling turned the words into the barest rumble of sound. "I thought you were awake. If I had known, I..."

"I know, but you didn't let me finish. In my dream, you were shocked and just hovering over me with this dumb expression on your face. And you tried talking to me, even though my naked body was laid out beneath you. So I figured this was a good time to shut you up once and for all, and to get something I've wanted for years out of it at the same time. You finally took the hint, I guess, because your hands were all over me then. And I don't think I've ever been so turned on by just a touch as I was in this dream. And then you bit me and I woke up and found that my dream was actually happening. I didn't know whether to be more angry at you for ending my dream, or for biting me. Did you really-"

"Yes," Rick cut her off, feeling worse than before. "I bit you. I'm so sorry Kate. But I don't think I took too much of your blood, I-"

It was Kate's turn to cut him off. "No. I was going to ask, did you really tell me you loved me?"

"I only thought it," he replied.

"But I did hear it. You projected it to me somehow?"

"I must have."

"Say it again," Kate asked quietly, "Say it... out loud."

Some of the shame left him then and he marveled. He'd bitten her- hurt her and stolen her blood- and she still wanted him to tell her, "I love you." He spoke the words out loud- finally- and watched as Kate's face changed. The shock and even some fear drained away and her smiled blossomed like a sunrise.

The hands that had been holding him away wrapped around his head and fisted in his hair, pulling him closer so she could kiss him.

A moment later, confused, Castle pulled away and stuttered, "What about... don't you... I _just_..." he sighed and concluded, "Huh?"

Kate smiled, and teased, "My word-smith, writer-monkey, lost for words?"

Rick's eyes narrowed on her. "I'll give you words." He slipped his body to one side, moving off of her and studying what had just been revealed. Then he grabbed a handful of sheet and tugged, exposing the rest of her body completely. "Sexy," he began listing his words, his hand trailing over her stomach as he spoke. "Beautiful." He caressed the hip farthest from him. "Gorgeous," Rick added as his hand slid around beneath her to gently squeeze her back-side. His head descended to skate his lips over the soft skin of his shoulder. "Enchanting," His mouth travelled down, but he pulled back slightly, so that when he added, "Breathtaking," only his breath touched the tip of her breast.

Kate gasped, more turned on by Rick's non-contact than she had been by any other man's touch. "You talk too much," she concluded, just before clutching him again, and forcing his mouth onto her heated skin. They both knew he was strong enough to resist her pull, but when the prize was Kate's perfect, round flesh in his mouth, there was no thought to resist.

Neither could tell who decided first, but in the same instant they moved, Kate turning onto her side and Rick helping her by pulling her body into his with the hand still cupping her backside. When their bodies pressed together, each facing the other, Kate hitched her leg up over Rick's hip and pulled him tighter into her body. In the move, Rick had to release his mouth's hold on her, but he quickly move to the other side and continued tormenting her body with his tongue. Kate moaned, arching her body into his mouth, and tried to push his jacket off his shoulder; but with his hand still exploring the back side of her, the cloth didn't move very far.

Rick finally realized that while Kate was totally nude- and wrapped around him- he was still fully clothed. Though there was definitely something erotic in that, the fact that she was naked and he was dressed for dinner or the office, he craved the feel of his bare skin against every inch of her's. So he pushed Kate onto her back, rolling with her, and quickly removed his jacket. His hands were braced on either side of her shoulders now, and Kate just stared up at him, studying him. Rick couldn't think well with her looking up at him like that, so his mind was not up to the task of figuring out how to unbutton himself without crushing her. And she just kept staring. So Rick prompted, "You wanna help with those buttons?"

Her eyes moved slowly down his chest and as she looked back up, she smiled slowly- a sexy smile. Her hands slid up, savoring the feel of his body. But instead of moving to the first button, she fisted her hands in his shirt and pulled, ripping the buttons from the material. Kate met his surprised eyes and confessed, "I've wanted to do that to you ever since I read your book."

Rick smiled back and asked, "Would you be willing to provide me a little inspiration for my _next_ book?"

"Oh, now I'm going to have to get creative," she faux-complained.

"No, just make it good," he compromised.

"Now that I can do," Kate grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him down, kissing him like she meant to consume him. She quickly removed the rest of his clothes, both of them laughing when she used her feet to push his pants and underwear down his legs.

Rick pulled away to look at her again. "You're really awake, right? Because now it feels like _I'm_ dreaming."

Kate pushed him and he moved for her, rolling onto his back and watching her as she sat up over him, straddling his hips. "Look at my eyes," she commanded unnecessarily; Rick was already staring. "I'm wide awake. And you certainly _feel _wide awake," she teased, her hand delving between their bodies to stroke him.

He eyes rolled back and he groaned. His hands moved up her thighs and grasped at her hips. _Take me in_, he kept pleading silently. And when she moved to do just that, his eyes snapped open. Did he have some kind of hypnotic, mind-control power over her, he wondered?

"Yes," she answered the unspoken question, cocking her head as she watched him. "I can hear you in my head. You're telling me to take you inside me, and part of me feels like I _have_ to do as you say. But I know you'd let me resist if I wanted to." She positioned him beneath her and admitted, "I just don't want to. I want you."

"Katie, my love," he gasped, his hips twitching up into her. "I love you."

"I know," she replied, not really intending to say much more. She had been hovering over him until then, but now she sat down, taking him all the way in, and she collapsed onto his chest. When she found her mouth right next to his ear, she admitted, "I love you, too." And then she took his earlobe into her mouth, suckling and prompting him to finally move.

**A/N: haha, I saw an opportunity to add a Twilight reference, and I just had to do it. It made me laugh. If you can find the reference, YOU ROCK!**


	9. Chapter 9

Rick had tried to sleep, really he did. But after only dozing for an hour, he woke, feeling like he'd slept eight. Which left him a lot of time to… well, to watch Kate sleep. She was so beautiful. And more than that, her face was _interesting_. He'd seen many beautiful women in his life, but none drew his attention like Kate did.

His hand reached up to brush his fingertips over her face, skating over the little beauty mark on her cheek, and down to her jaw. Castle quickly pulled his hand away when Kate twitched away from his touch, sighing and readjusting her head in her sleep.

But now Castle couldn't see most of her face, and that just wouldn't do. So Rick reached out again to stroke the cheek turned away from him. And when she turned again to face him, Castle smiled mischievously.

How much would it take to wake her, he wondered?

*.*.*.*.

Kate yet again found herself in the middle of a Castle-sex-dream. She seemed to be having those a lot lately, more and more frequently. Not that she was complaining. Dream-Castle sure knew what he was doing.

The dreams had freaked her out at first, scared that they may mean she was falling in love with the narcissistic playboy. But she'd gotten to know the man behind the persona, and she'd learned to just… "Go with the flow" when she found herself in the midst of yet another erotic dream starring Mr. Richard Castle.

This particular dream was just getting good when Kate felt herself gradually waking. Not wanting this one to end just yet- maybe _ever- _Kate held onto sleep, clinging to the images and the sensations being produced. But something stronger was pulling her back, toward consciousness. Kate sighed, still feeling some of the effects of her dream, and stretched her arms above her.

Except something- or _someone_- was pinning her hands to either side of her head.

Startled now, Kate woke quickly and found Castle trying to torture her. She stared down at him, surprised to find that her dream had actually been happening- for the _second _time that night. His mouth closed over the tip of her breast and despite her surprise, Kate moaned.

Rick finally looked up at her, though his lashes and grinned around her breast. "Finally," he mumbled, and then returned his attention to the body part trapped in his mouth.

It took a long moment, but some thought slowly returned to Kate and she asked, "Finally? What does that mean?"

Rick's lips skated up her chest, her neck and settled near her ear. "I've been trying to wake you for half an hour," he said. "You did _not _want to wake up, though. You seemed to like dreaming of me. Tell me something, Katie," Rick's teeth gently pulled at her earlobe. "Do you dream of me often?"

Despite her rapid breathing and general lack of clear thought at the moment, Kate scoffed and tried to think of a sarcastic retort to that.

But Rick parted his mouth over her throat and closed his teeth over her skin threateningly. After a long, tense second, he pulled away, cocked an eyebrow at her, and warned her in an almost growl, "Don't lie to me."

Kate stared up at him, at his vivid purple eyes and felt that same compulsion she'd felt earlier- a voice in her mind commanding her to obey Rick, to give him whatever he asked of her. She took a breath to answer, when Rick blinked several times and looked away, breaking the compulsion at the same time. His mouth returned to her ear and he whispered, "Would you, pretty please, tell me how often you dream of me? Erotically, I mean."

Kate shivered at the fell of his breath at her ear, but managed to form a response. She no longer felt the compulsion to obey him, but she still wanted to be honest. There was no point denying the truth anymore, anyway. "When I first met you, it was once- maybe twice a month. But recently, it's been every other night. I dream about you almost as often as I have the nightmare," she finished quietly- nervous about sharing that last bit of information she'd never told anyone else.

Rick moved to look down at her again, concerned, and asked, "What nightmare?"

Kate's brow furrowed and her mouth pressed together. Rick cold tell she didn't really plan to answer, but as clearly as if she had spoken aloud, he heard her tortured thoughts reply, _my mother._

Kate could see the heart break in his eyes as he studied her and she knew he had somehow heard. And the thought almost comforted her. Then she could hear Rick murmur- without moving his lips- _It's okay. You're safe here with me. _His hands finally released their hold on her wrists and moved to frame her face. _I could share it with you- the nightmare… if you'll let me. _

Kate stared up at him, wide-eyed, and fought the tears that threatened. No one had ever tried to understand her pain before; people usually just offered her platitudes and assured her the pain would fade with time. But ten years later, and the memory still woke her in the middle of the night, so strong, she found herself curled into a tight ball, crying. So as he held her gaze, she mentally relived the nightmare of her mother's violent death. And even though she hadn't been there to see the actual event, the thing about dreams was that they could often be far worse than reality.

Rick's eyes widened in horror and Kate knew that he was living the dream with her. Then she watched, awed, as water slowly filled his eyes.

He buried his face in her neck, clutching her body tight, and murmured, "Oh, Katie."

That dream usually had her trembling and sometimes crying, but she found herself stroking Rick's back and hair and actually comforting _him. _"I'm sorry," she soothed.

Kate was alarmed when she felt his body shaking. But when he pulled back, Kate found him laughing, his eyes dry, though still holding some of the sadness. "That may be the stupidest thing you've ever said to me." Before she could reply, obviously offended, Rick briefly kissed her mouth and then told her, "You have nothing to be sorry for. I asked you to share and I'm… I'm honored that you did. And I'm _so_ sorry that you had to know that kind of pain." He studied her face then added, "But it made you who you are." Rick smiled then and concluded, "And I love who you are."

Sharing that dream that had weighed so heavily on her for so long and hearing Rick say those words, had Kate feeling lighter than he had since she was a younger woman, gushing with her mom about her latest crush.

"Oh yeah?" she finally teased, smiling. Her hand slid down his back and firmly grasped his rear end. "Prove it," she challenged, squeezing firmly.

As Kate watched, the purple of Castle's eyes began to swirl, darkening with his passion. Still staring closely, Kate arched her back, pressing her breasts to his chest and saw his eyes darken even more at the same time she felt certain parts of him move against her thigh.

_The darker his eyes, the more passionate he feels, _Kate concluded.

Rick's head tilted to the side and Kate knew he still heard her thoughts.

_I'll give you passionate, _he replied silently as he moved one of his heavy thighs between her slimmer ones, pushing them apart. Kate moved to accommodate him, loving the weight of his body totally covering her own. Rick's mouth closed over hers and for a long time, he did indeed show her how passionate he felt.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm so so so SO SO SOOOOOO sorry that I took so long to get this posted! I really hate leaving something unfinished like this, but I was STUCK! I could not figure out how move on into the plot of this story. I wanted my story to follow the plot of the episode it was based on, but I could not figure out how to do it. So I'm abandoning that idea and totally brushing the plot aside in favor of Castle/Beckett fluff. That can be its own plot, right?**

**I'll try to update soon, but I have like three papers to work on this week for class. Then again, I do get some of my best writing done when I'm supposed to be doing schoolwork, so we'll see. **

**Thank you SO MUCH for your patience, and again, I'm SO sorry. I've been a very bad writer-girl. ;-D**

Before Kate could fall asleep again, Rick squeezed her languid body close to him and murmured, "I need to get going soon."

"Mmm," she mumbled in disappointment. "No, stay," she added, throwing her leg over both of his as if she could trap him there that way.

Rick pressed a kiss to her head and confessed, "I wish I could, but the sun will be up soon."

"So?" Kate readjusted, nestling her head more comfortably against his shoulder and settling in like she never intended to let him go.

After a long pause, he concluded, "I guess you _wouldn't_ know, 'cause I never told you; the sun burns me now."

"Oh, right. 'Cause you're a vampire now," she mumbled, her eyes still closed.

Though Rick was stunned by her casual reference to and seeming easy acceptance of a truth that still boggled _his_ mind, he agreed, "Right."

"We're gonna need to find a darker room next time, so you won't have to leave me the morning after."

Would she never cease to surprise him? Castle wondered. "You want to… continue seeing me?" he asked, still hesitating and surprised even after everything they had shared that night. Honestly, Rick was still kind of expecting to wake up and find out it had all been a dream.

Kate's arm and leg tightened around him and she informed him, "You're not getting rid of me now, writer-boy."

"You've got that wrong," Rick said, and he smiled when he felt Kate's body tense. "_You'll_ never get rid of _me_. I'm a lot stronger than you are now… Wait, who are you calling _boy_?"

She laughed then, a low, throaty sound. "Don't you have to scurry off now to hide your pretty skin from the sun?"

Rick chuckled in response and told her, "You _think_ you've just insulted me, but you just admitted you think I'm pretty."

Kate's hand began roaming over his torso, and she finally hedged, "Eh, you're not so bad."

"Mmhmm," he replied doubtfully. "That's why you can't keep you're hands off of me?"

Kate smiled, hiding the expression against his shoulder, grateful that he couldn't see the expression. "Your ego is already big enough, Castle. I will not be stroking it for you."

"That's funny," he teased. "I could have sworn that you enjoyed stroking me. You certainly couldn't get enough of it tonight."

Kate slapped playfully at his opposite shoulder and laughed. "Are you just trying to get a quickie before you leave?"

With her ear pressed against his chest, Kate could hear a contemplative sound rumble through him before he pressed a kiss to her head and told her, "If we were to make love again, there would be nothing _quick_ about it, baby."

Rick couldn't see her face, but he could almost hear her rolling her eyes at him.

Unable to think of a sarcastic remark though, Kate remained silent- mostly because she doubted he was wrong.

But after a long moment of silence, Rick took her non-reply as a comment in and of itself. "Are you doubting me?" he challenged.

Kate finally lifted her head , propping her chin on Rick's chest and smiling up at him. "You're fishing," she accused.

"Fishing for what?" he replied conceitedly. "I already caught you."

"And now you want me to reassure you that I think you were good in bed." She shook her head then, her chin pivoting on his chest. "You are such a girl, Castle."

He narrowed his eyes at her, and as she watched, she thought she could see the amethyst color of his eyes burning.

_Tell me the truth_, he demanded silently and for a moment, Kate felt that urge again to obey. It quickly faded but he added, _Please just tell me. Did you enjoy what we did here tonight_?

Just to torture him, Kate took the time to think about her answer. With a pensive look on her pretty face, she thought back, recalling each of the several times they'd made love and she knew her answer; she'd already known before recalling the memories, she just wanted to make him suffer a little. This was _Castle_ after all- newly renovated, stronger body notwithstanding.

Suddenly Kate heard an odd sound- something almost like a growl- rumble through Rick's chest. "I heard that," he informed her, the words let out on what was indeed a growl. From any other creature- humanoid or not- that growl would have instantly had her on guard. But coming from Castle… it might have been the sexiest sound she'd ever heard. "If you want to play _that_ game, I can show you suffering."

Quicker than Kate could comprehend, she was on her back, Rick pinning her hands above her head. His mouth crashed down on her own and he kissed her hard.

Kate was quickly panting, her legs bending up to hold his body between her thighs, but then he was suddenly gone. Her eyes blinked open in confusion, and she found Castle standing over the bed, smirking down at her.

Trying not to be annoyed by the superior attitude and irritating smirk, Kate sat up. "Come back here," she commanded him, holding out her hand to him. "I wasn't done with you."

Rick gave her a real smile this time, but he didn't move toward her outstretched hand and she eventually let it drop. There was genuine regret in his eyes when he told her, "I can't. I really have to go now." Castle turned his head to look out the floor-to-ceiling windows and when Kate followed his gaze, they both noticed the dark gray of predawn. "I can actually _feel_ the sun rising," he marveled quietly as they watched the sky- and Rick could even see the infinitesimal change of colors there.

Kate turned her attention back long before Castle did, and she just studied him. Rick was totally confident- still his cocksure self- even as he stood there completely nude. His self-assured swagger used to set her teeth on edge in annoyance, but as her gaze wandered his body, she acknowledged that he may have had valid reason for his obnoxious self-confidence. She had to admit, he was in great shape for a man whose most dangerous on-the-job work hazards were paper cuts and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Rick finally turned away from the huge windows and when he found Kate studying him, he smiled at her; she certainly seemed pleased by what she saw, and in turn that fact pleased him too. But he didn't call her on the thoughts obviously skittering through her brain just then; instead he located his shorts and began to get dressed.

Rick was just buttoning his dark blue jeans when Kate finally spoke. "Castle," she said quietly, though Rick could hear her clearly. "Kiss me one more time before you go."

He managed to control the grin that threatened and he gazed impassively down at Kate. "Why Katie," he began, his voice somewhat cold and his poker face revealing nothing. "I had no idea you were so _clingy_."

Kate's mouth fell open in outrage and as she grabbed a pillow to chuck at his head, she snapped, "I am not _clingy_!"

Though her aim had been dead on, Castle was easily able to side-step the hurtling pillow with his new, improved reflexes. In the next instant Kate was on her back again and Rick was chuckling as he hovered over her. "Don't worry," he teased, moving to kiss her neck just below her ear. "I like it."

"I am _not_ clingy," she insisted, sounding only a little bit like a petulant child.

"I _like_ it," he insisted, quietly chuckling still. He softly brushed her hair off of her face, his fingertips moving to slowly trace the curve of her cheek bone, and he bent his head to kiss her mouth.

But Kate turned her face away and Rick's kiss landed on her jaw.

It took him a long minute to control his grin, but when he did, he composed his expression into something suitably contrite and began apologizing. "I'm sorry, Katie. You're not at all clingy. You're independent and strong." He leaned in to place a gentle, lingering kiss on her neck. "Only one of the millions of things I love about you is how confident and self-reliant you are." He nuzzled her ear and figured that as long as he was telling her what he loved about her, he'd spill it all. "I love how you don't need me at all- neither personally nor professionally- but you want me anyway. You're so smart, you cold solve each and every one of your cases by yourself, but you let me tag along. And sometimes you let me think I actually helped you on your case."

Kate finally turned her head to look at him, and her expression was serious. "There might have been _one or two_ cases I wouldn't have solved without you, Rick."

He smiled brilliantly in gratitude for that confession, but he shook his head. "You would have gotten there without me."

"Maybe," she ceded with a little conceit in her voice.

Rick laughed and finally kissed her lips. Her arms were just sliding around his neck when he groaned in reluctance and pulled away. "I really do have to go now." He quickly kissed her again then began moving away from her. "But I will call you, and I'll see you tonight. Okay?"

Kate nodded, her eyes closing as her sleepiness finally caught up with her now that she no longer had any hope of Rick making love to her again. She was asleep by the time Castle gathered what he needed- including a new shirt to replace the one Kate had torn off of him- kissed her forehead and left his apartment to run from the sun.

**A/N: Can you believe I've never actually seen a sunrise? Well, the last time was so long ago, I was probably a preteen, and I don't remeber it. So I guessed what it would look like from what I've read in the past about it. If I had my preference, I'd probably stay up till dawn then sleep all day like a vampire... maybe that's why I like them so much; our preferred schedules are the same! :-D**

**Also, I started writing another story and I wanted to get some opinions about it. It was pretty much a one-shot smut story that actually evolved a plot, but it's... much more mature than anything I've posted so far on this site. I'm kind of hesitant about posting something so explicit cause honestly, I'm kind of a prude. Would anyone be interested in a hurt/comfort/smut story that eventually develops a plot? Or should I keep my pervy fancies to myself? Thank you in advance for the feedback!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: This chapter and the next one are dedicated to ArtemisBeloved for my Christmas present. Thank you for the books! 3 3**

Kate shoved aside some of the hangers in her closet and glared at her clothes. She was going _out_ tonight, and Richard Castle be damned. The man had called her, like he promised, but the conversation had only been long enough for him to inform her something had come up, would she please stay with Alexis for a few more days? and he would call her back as soon as he could. Three days later and they had yet to have a conversation that actually lasted 10 minutes. Plus, he hadn't come home like he'd promised and Kate felt like a world class idiot for actually waiting on a guy that was obviously never going to come back. Her phone was currently buried at the bottom of her purse; she'd 'accidentally' let the power run out so that even if he wanted to, Rick wouldn't be able to call her tonight- and so she'd stop checking for missed calls every five minutes.

Alexis was sleeping at a friend's house tonight and it was Halloween, so she'd allowed Lanie to talk her into going out to a club. Where there would be men and alcohol, and dancing. And men. Who _weren't_ Richard Castle. Kate had to stamp viciously- metaphorically, of course- on the hurt and regret that thinking about him incurred.

Kate continued pushing clothes around her closet as she searched for something to wear. She wasn't going to dress up for Halloween per se, but she definitely didn't want to dress like her usual self. She smiled in triumph when her gaze fell on a sparkly red scrap of cloth that some _genius_ had claimed was a shirt. 

Rick was _tired_. Oh, his body- physically- felt well enough that he thought he could run a marathon and still not be winded. But there was more than one kind of tired, and right now Rick just wanted to find some quiet haven and turn his brain _off_ for a week. Rick really smiled for the first time in days when he thought of Kate and the perfect mind-numbing activities he could get up to with her. Castle unlocked his front door, trudged inside and was greeted by echoing silence. Frowning, he focused his attention on his ears and listened; there were no heartbeats, no sounds of movement inside the loft, only the whirring and humming of electricity powering the gadgets and appliances throughout the empty house. He tossed his bag to the floor beside the doorway and called out anyway, "Hello? Is anybody home?"

Of course there was no answer so Castle made his way upstairs. His bed was made and tidy, but aside from that uncharacteristic fact, there was no other evidence that anyone else had been in his bedroom. Kate had been staying here for days, Castle pondered. Shouldn't there be _some_ evidence tying her to the 'crime scene?'

Answerless, Rick finally made his way to Alexis's bedroom. The space was tidy and comfortable, but nothing was out to indicate where his daughter might be. So he checked her wall calendar- and rolled his eyes as Edward glowered at him from the glossy picture. Rick had to do a little mental math to figure out what day it was, and when he thought he had the right date, he realized it was Halloween. Alexis's girly, bubbly lettering had filled today's box with "Sleep over with Paige!" with little hearts instead of dots under the exclamation points.

If Alexis was not going to be home tonight, maybe Kate had gone to her own house, Rick concluded hopefully.

He did feel bad about not being able to talk to her as much as he'd have liked, but there hadn't really been a good time. When he finally put his mind to it- as well as his spiffy new enhanced senses- he'd found Crow rather easily. And he'd discovered a vicious murder plot that pitted mother against son. Rick had spent the past few days helping Crow seek justice- as opposed to revenge- but Mommy-Dearest had disappeared. At a dead end in the case, Rick decided it was time to go home and let Crow come to him when there were new leads.

Besides, after their night together, Rick wanted to have a _real_ conversation with her the next time they talked. He'd also sent myriad text messages, but Kate hadn't responded to any of them. Maybe she hadn't received them? He wondered.

Well, Rick decided, smiling wickedly. He'd just have to get down on his knees and _beg_ her forgiveness.

After days spent sneaking around, Rick was outside Kate's window, on the fire escape before he realized he could have just gone to her front door. But he was already at her window and it was easy for him to open, so- shrugging- Rick slipped inside, calling "Kate?" as he did; he wanted to see her, not get in trouble for B and E. When he didn't see her in the living room, he decided a small fib would hurt no one. "Kate? The door was open, so I let myself in! Where are you?"

He listened as he headed toward her bedroom and was greeted by silence yet again. Every room of her apartment was tidy, warm and comfortable, with a style that totally screamed 'Kate Beckett.' So Rick began to worry when he got to Kate's bedroom and it looked like her closet had thrown up on her room. But as he looked closer, it seemed like her closet had only purged the sexier clothing- miniskirts, sequins, and red were everywhere; stiletto heels were scattered on all available floor space. But there was no sign of Kate.

If Rick could have been sure Kate was okay, he would have sighed in annoyance that he had to track her down too after days of fruitless tracking. But he couldn't be sure she was safe, so with a deep breath, Castle headed back out to find the woman he loved.

**A/N: I know it doesn't really make sense for him to run off just after they slept together, but I couldn't think of a more plausible way to set up the next chapter. It gets better soon, I promise! And the next chapter is a lot of fun. :-D**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to ArtemisBeloved!**

Castle glared incredulously at the building towering before him. The place practically vibrated on it's foundation as the bass heavy music pounded. He would have never pictured Kate at a place like this- the kids lined up outside couldn't be much older than his daughter! But he could sense her inside; he could feel her essence- consciousness, soul, being, whatever. He could feel her inside and she was drunk... or at least, quickly getting there.

Rick bypassed the bouncer, and the line of children waiting to get in, walking right inside the club. He'd been practicing- testing his new brain to see what it could do- and he found that most people were easy to mentally manipulate. So, as far as they knew, none of the people outside had even noticed Rick waltz right into the club.

Rick had arranged a way through Lanie to get about-to-expire bags of blood that wouldn't be used in hospitals, so he had stayed fed and content these past few days. But the smell and sound of healthy hearts thundering and warm blood pulsing through young, writhing bodies had Rick's stomach convulsing with hunger. But the thought of actually biting one of these young people had him cringing in disgust and he was easily able to ignore the hunger pains after that. Besides, he could sense Kate close by and his attention was completely absorbed by that small fact.

Rick's eyes sought her out and found her on the dance floor, but he couldn't believe what his eyes saw. Rick _knew_ it was her- he could just tell that it was- but he never would have guessed it from looking at the back of her. With her hair piled up on her head in messy curls, there was nothing covering her back except a couple strings and some guy's hands. A small band of skin tight black leather was barely covering her rear end right below some guy's hands. And her long legs were bare, right down to her strappy red stilettos.

As Rick glared at those big hands on her back, they slid down her skin to rest right above the hem of her black skirt.

Throughout his entire rebellious youth and on through two failed marriages, Rick didn't think he'd ever felt what he was feeling now, at the sight of those hands on _his_ Kate. Rage boiled inside him and he could happily see himself breaking those fingers now creeping over the waistband of her skirt. He could even imagine ripping the guy's throat out and bathing in his blood for daring to touch his Kate.

But apparently Kate hadn't been very comfortable with the guy's hands on her body either, because as Castle watched, she spun in the guy's grasp and continued dancing, her back now to the guy's front. Rick still didn't feel any better, though, because Mr. Hands was now holding on to her swaying hips.

Rick didn't trust himself to move just then, afraid he'd murder someone if he so much as took one step toward the guy touching Kate, so he stood absolutely motionless, glaring at them. He was surprised by his own emotions just then; he'd never been the possessive type before, so it was startling to realize just how much it bothered him to see someone else touching Kate.

Kate's eyes were closed as she swayed her hips to the music. Though her top was backless, her front was covered well enough; the neckline draped low across her chest, almost revealing the tops of her breasts. The top was red and glittered in the dim light. His gaze travelled back down to her legs. Somehow, those legs of hers seemed even longer and even more bare from the front.

As he studied her, some of the rage melted away- especially as he realized that Kate was intentionally keeping several inches of space between her body and that of Mr. Hands behind her- and Rick just wanted to be with her. But the handsy guy had to go. So Rick focused his mind and a second later, the guy's head snapped up in alarm. "My car is on fire!" he said.

Kate turned her head to look up at him and she said, "What?"

"My car is on fire!" he called again, then turned away from Kate and nearly plowed several people over as he tried to make a run for the door.

Confused and annoyed, Kate watched him for a long second before turning away, either to look for someone else to dance with, locate Lanie, or look for another drink, Rick didn't know. But what she found was Richard Castle staring intently at her. So she frowned, turned her back on him and began to walk away.

_Come here,_ Rick mentally called to her- frowning at her back- and Kate's steps immediately halted.

But her head bowed in concentration as she fought the compulsion to obey and she silently called, _No!_

Startled, Rick's concentration broke and Kate continued walking away from him. But with his fancy new super-speed, he was standing in front of her before she could take three steps.

_Why not?_ He asked.

"Because I don't want to see you right now, Castle," she replied out loud. "So just go away."

Genuine hurt clouded his gaze and this time, he couldn't have spoken out loud even if he'd wanted to. _Why?_

"If you can't figure it out, you're an idiot as well as an inconsiderate jerk," she told him and then turned back the other way.

Rick grabbed her arm and held her back. "Kate?"

She just glared down at his hand and snapped, "You're hurting me!"

"I'm sorry," he replied quickly, and loosened his grasp, but didn't let her go. "But Kate, what's going on? Why are you acting like this?"

To Rick's horror, when she finally looked up at him, there were tears in her eyes. "We... I..." she stuttered as she tried to figure out what to say without sounding needy and insecure. "We spent the night together, and I thought it actually meant something, but then you ignored me for three days. How am I-"

"I didn't ignore you!" he cut her off. "I called you as often as I could. I sent you tons of texts."

"Five minute phone conversations and text messages are how you get rid of a pesky one night stand. That's _not_ how you treat someone who actually means something to you."

"I'm sorry Katie," he tried to pull her closer, wrapping his arms around her, but she didn't respond. Though she didn't pull away either, so Rick thought that was a hopeful sign. He put his mouth to her ear and said, "I'm so sorry I made you feel that way. I got caught up in a case- but I promise it will never happen again."

She knew he was lying- or at least fibbing a little. Rick got wrapped up in things and sometimes let the rest of the world slip away from him. Kate knew that about his personality, so she wouldn't get mad about it now. She even liked it sometimes, the way he could get all wrapped up in something, especially when that 'thing' was her. "What case?" she asked, finally looking at him.

Rick glanced up at the club, at the noise, the crowds of people and the writhing dancers and he grimaced. "I will tell you everything, but please... let me take you home now." He put his lips back to her ear and added, "I just want to be alone with you, somewhere quiet, and just touch you. I just need to be with you." Kate tilted her head to give him access and he began kissing down the lines of her neck. His deep velvet voice was doing very interesting things to her insides.

But other than tilting her head, Kate still hadn't responded to him physically. After a minute of allowing him to kiss her neck, she told him quietly, "I'm still mad at you."

"You should be," he murmured as he continued, sucking every now and then at her pulse point. Kate suspected there was a smile on his face as he kept talking. "I've been an inconsiderate jerk as well as a total idiot. But I promise to spend all night _trying_ to make it up to you."

Kate finally smiled at the naughty implication in his voice and her arms moved to wind around his shoulders, holding him to her neck. When his teeth scraped softly over her skin, she gasped and he stepped away.

His eyes were a dark, stormy purple when he looked at her; their gaze was now on an even level with Kate in her high heels. Rick looked down at her body and took a heavy breath. "May I please take you home now?"

"No," she replied. And when Castle tore his gaze away from her long, bare legs to study her face in confusion, he found her smiling. "I came here to dance. I'm _dancing_." She reached out to put her hand on his neck just below his ear, her thumb sweeping tenderly over his cheekbone. Then, in a condescending sort of voice, she added, "But if you're feeling sleepy, feel free to head home, and I'll see you... when I see you." She shrugged and then moved to turn away.

But Rick grabbed her and pulled her back again, his hands moving to her hips and leading her in a swaying dance at half the pace of the music. "You are _mine_, Katie," he informed her. "There is no way you are dancing with some random guy you picked up in a club. Again," he added sourly, recalling Mr. Hands.

Kate glared at him, but let him continue touching her, leading her in their dance. "I will do whatever- and whomever- I want," she told him defiantly. She'd had no intention of sleeping with anyone she might have picked up tonight, but Rick didn't need to know that. Especially since she was trying to piss him off and reassert her independence at the same time.

"You have the right to do that," he acknowledged, though his lips thinned in anger. He yanked her body forward, against his and leaned in to her ear. "But I will happily break the legs of any boy here who tries to touch you."

Kate had never been a fan of the possessive type before, so she was surprised to find her body shivering in pleasure inspired by his threat and the feel of his breath on her skin.

"Although, it has been a while since I've fed. And all these young, hot bodies _are_ making me thirsty."

Kate frowned at him for the 'young hot bodies' comment, then fisted her hands in his jacket and pulled him roughly into a fierce kiss. Kate had never _been_ the possessive type before either, so her own feelings just then startled her too. But Rick's hands on her body and his insistent tongue invading her mouth were stoking a flame that was quickly threatening to consume her. So she pushed away her worrisome thoughts and basked in the heat invading her body. Kate threaded her fingers through his hair as the kiss quickly intensified. But finally, she pushed him away, panting, and they continued to sway slowly as she caught her breath.

"Buy me a drink," she eventually said, before taking his hand and leading him to the bar.

_But you're already drunk, _Rick said silently, knowing she'd have difficulty hearing him now over the music.

"I am not!" she snapped back, leading him on to the bar.

_I can smell the alcohol in your blood_.

"That doesn't mean I'm drunk. I can hold my liquor very well, Castle."

Rick idly wondered if she realized that half of their conversation was happening silently. _But you'll get drunk if you keep drinking_, he accused her.

Kate leaned against the sticky bar and finally looked back at him. "That was the plan. I came here to drink, to dance and to forget about how mad at you I am. So either go along with the plan or go home."

Rick was smiling, not at all put off by her attitude. _What would you like to drink?_

Finally smiling at him in return, Kate chirped, "Vodka. Lots of vodka."

Rick nodded and sidled closer to her at the bar so he could get the bartender's attention.

Closing the small gap Rick had left between their bodies, Kate plastered herself to his side. She slid one hand up into his hair at the nape of his neck and flexed her fingers into his skin. "Did I ever mention how… _affectionate_ I get when I'm drunk?"

"No," Rick said, turning his head to look at her mouth. _You neglected to mention that._

Her smile turned a little bit naughty as she moved her hand down his back. When Rick wrapped his arm around her slender shoulders, Kate slipped her hands inside his jacket, groping at the muscles of his upper body under his jacket.

Something caught his attention and when Rick looked up, he saw Mr. Hands across the club, just returned from finding out his car had not in fact been on fire. When the guy saw Kate draped over Castle, he frowned in annoyance. So Castle did the only thing he _could_ do in that situation; he buried his fingers in Kate's messy curls and pulled her mouth to his in a possessive kiss. Rick didn't look again, but sensed with the guy shrugged and turned away, probably to find another pretty girl to bump and grind with.

"Were you two gonna order a drink?" the bartender shouted at them over the music. "Or just take up space at the bar?"

They pulled apart- slowly- and Rick watched as she licked her lips. Rick finally turned to the barkeep and told him, "Two vodka martinis, please. Don't shake 'em, just swirl 'em around a little bit." When the bartender turned away to get the drinks started, Rick looked back to find Kate watching him with a curious look on her face. "What?"

"I don't need two drinks. Well, not at once, anyway."

"One of them is for me."

"You drink? I mean, you know, since your diet changed."

Understanding what she was getting at, Rick smiled. "My body still functions," he told her, taking her hand off his abdomen and placing it over his heart. "My heart still beats. I can still eat and drink regular food, I just crave something else now too."

"Hmm," she murmured as she pondered. "Don't take this the wrong way, but do you think you can still father children?"

"I don't see why not… Why?"

"I'm simply curious. I'm not ready to have _that _conversation with you, Castle."

They turned to the bar when their drinks were set in front of them, and Rick handed over his card with instructions to open up a tab. Drinks in hand, they moved away from the bar and tried to find a spot to stand without being in the way. Funny thing was, there was no such spot in the crowded bar. They quickly downed their drinks, set the empty glasses on an abandoned table and Kate took his hand to lead him back out to the dance floor.

When she turned to face him, Rick swallowed hard at the look in her smoky eyes. Her hips began swaying sinuously to the music, her arms lifted to brush loose strands of her hair back off her shoulders. With still several inches of space between them, Rick's body swayed in time with hers. Kate sidled closer and Rick's hands moved to rest on her waist. Rick suddenly recalled the image of another man's hands on her body and he wanted to erase that memory from her skin. His hands skimmed over her back, sweeping up and then down again to rest on the waistband of her skirt. Kate began moving her hips faster, it time with the music now, and when his hands began edging down to cup her backside, she exaggerated the bounce of her body under Rick's grasp.

Rick hauled her body against his and he bent his head to kiss her mouth. Kate allowed him to kiss her passionately for a long moment, then pulled away and laughed. "_Dance_ with me, Castle! We can make out all you like when we get home."

Rick closed his eyes and hauled in a deep breath to calm his racing heart beat. He squeezed her rear end before resuming the quick pace of their dance and Kate's arms wound around his neck. _You are so freaking sexy_, he told her quietly, letting some of his naughty mental images transmit to her mind.

Kate gasped when she saw what he was thinking about doing to her, but continued bouncing her hips against his. She sent him her own mental pictures, images of how she would respond to everything he was imagining. And for nearly an hour, they bumped and grinded their bodies together, dancing and imagining everything they wanted to do when they finally went home and got each other naked.

**A/N: Thank you again ArtemisBeloved! I hope this chapter was worthy to be your dedication! And I'm sorry it took so long to get posted. **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: This chapter is rated M. Purely smut and drunken debauchery. Read at your own discretion. :-D**

With as much as Kate Beckett had had to drink that night, she no longer cared about Richard Castle. She no longer cared about how little they had talked over the past two days. She didn't even care that a part of her- a very _small_ part- felt used. All she cared about right then was touch.

At her own home, in bed, Rick's big body on top of her, Kate touched as much of him as she could reach: the hard planes of his back; the round, delicious curve of his ass; the hard abdominal muscles that flexed as he hovered over her.

With one hand, she reached between their bodies, unzipped his pants then reached inside and took his hard length into her grasp. As wrapped up in touch as she was, Kate didn't even hear his gasp of pleasure when her fist closed around him and she began stroking him. She held him tight in her hand, moving over him to feel the velvet soft skin over the rock hard length. It was such an interesting combination of textures that she spent long moments just exploring how one body part could be both hard and silky, throbbing and unbending. Her thumb brushed over the tip of him and for the next long minute she explored the new texture of his skin when it was slippery. When her alcohol clouded brain wondered what his skin would feel like on her tongue, she didn't even pause to consider whether or not she should investigate, she just took her hand from his hard shaft, put both hands on his shoulders and pushed.

The sound he made when Kate took her hand from his erection was almost pathetic. Whimpering from the loss of friction, he thought he'd do anything to get Kate to wrap her hands around him again, so he moved easily when she pushed him. Rolling onto his back, he pulled Kate on top of him, her legs straddling his hips.

In their new positions, Kate forgot for a moment her intended goal, and took advantage of her leverage over him. Her lips crashed down on his, her tongue thoroughly exploring his mouth in an aggressive, dominating kiss. Kate pressed her soft breasts against the hard wall of his covered chest, grinding her hips down upon his, until she began kissing down his chin to his neck. Though a couple buttons were already loose, Kate didn't think she had the patience- or the coordination- just then to undo the remaining fastenings. So as she kissed the exposed triangle of skin at his throat, Kate fisted her hands in the material and ripped. She pushed open the shirt and kissed her way over to one flat, male nipple, taking him between her teeth and sucking hard when she heard him gasp. Her tongue rasped over him and her teeth bit at him until he was literally writhing beneath her, seeking friction against her body on his throbbing arousal.

"Oh, Katie, please," Rick began begging. "Please touch me. Take me in your hand again."

"No," she chirped between kisses as she made her way to the other side of his chest.

"Please Katie," he gasped, completely forgetting about the whole mind control thing when her teeth scraped over his sensitive flesh, though had he thought about it, he wouldn't have used it anyway. Something about using mind control to make a woman do what he wanted seemed wrong, regardless of whether or not she planned on sleeping with him anyway. His hands moved to grasp her upper arms as she held herself over him, his fingertips digging into her skin convulsively.

"You're hurting me," she told him and stopped her kisses until his grasp loosened.

"I'm sorry," he practically sobbed as he released his grip.

Kate shifted off his body and Rick only let her go because he thought she was reaching inside her night stand for a condom. Whatever it was, she placed it on the bed beside his head as she climbed back on top of him and in an effort to distract him, she plundered his mouth again. She moved his hands above his head and before he could protest or even register what she was doing, Kate had his hands cuffed around one of the decorative bars in her wooden headboard. His body jerked against his restraints when the cold metal painfully pinched his wrists.

"What are you doing?" he snapped as he pulled again at the cuffs.

"You're not nearly careful enough with me, Mr. Castle," she informed him huskily, her face just beside his. She dipped her tongue into his ear and added teasingly, "So you don't get to touch me any more until you promise to be more careful with your toys."

"I promise Kate. Oh, sweet heaven," he gasped when she sucked at his earlobe. "I promise."

"You promise what?" She teased as she began to kiss her way back down his body. She didn't let herself get distracted this time as she slid down lower, nipping and licking at his skin as she traveled. "What do you promise me, Ricky?" She prompted again as her fingers curled around the waistband of his pants. Suddenly she stopped and looked up at his face- noted the pained/pleasured expression there- and waited for him to reply. "Tell me," she commanded, holding absolutely still until he opened his eyes and looked at her.

"I promise to be a good boy, Katie," he practically sobbed, knowing exactly what she wanted him to say, but barely having the brain power to say it. And then he lifted his hips eagerly for her when she pulled on his clothes, careful not to snag them on the large protrusion under his pants. Finally free of the clothing, he groaned when he saw the pink tip of her tongue dart out to moisten her lips. "I want you to taste me Kate. Please," he added desperately.

With a wicked smile, she leaned down and swiped her tongue once along the entire thick length of him and almost giggled with it jumped. "Mmm," she hummed in pleasure as if she'd just taken a taste of ice cream. "Not vanilla," she told him. She stroked her tongue from base to tip, swirling over the end of him before adding, "Not chocolate either." She wrapped her lips around the tip of him and sucked much like she would have with a Popsicle. And then she did it one more time, taking him deeper into her mouth, closing her eyes and moaning before concluding, "Yup. Definitely Rick Castle flavored."

Rick groaned in pleasure when she began moving her mouth on him in earnest.

So engrossed in her current task was she that Kate never heard the sound of rending wood. She never heard the clank of metal when Rick tore his cuffs free of her headboard. But she felt the bite of cold metal on the back of her neck when Castle wrapped the cuffs behind her head and hauled her up his body so that he could kiss her. It was with some difficulty due to the cuffs, but Rick managed to bunch her skirt up around her waist, tear her panties off of her, and then bury his aching shaft inside her hot body. Kate set a frantic pace, and it was very soon that she was crying out in release, her whimpered gasps and moans echoed by the man shattering beneath her.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: This is another mostly smut chapter, with a little exposition thrown in. Lots of talking, lots of… not… talking… :-D Again, read at your own discretion. The next chapter will have a little more drama I think.**

With a happy sigh, Kate kissed his neck and settled her body more comfortable on his. But when Rick moved his hands up to stroke her back, she jerked violently away from the cold touch of the metal cuffs still binding his wrists. Rick groaned almost painfully when her body moved on his, disturbing their connection and creating friction on overly sensitized flesh.

"Sorry," they both said at the same time and then smiled at each other.

When Kate heard the sound of straining metal, she snapped, "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying... to take..." he said, his voice straining each time he tried to pull the cuffs apart.

"Stop it!" Kate snapped in alarm. "Those are my favorite handcuffs!"

Rick froze in surprise and after a long silence, he asked in disbelief, "You _have_ a 'favorite pair of handcuffs'?"

"Yes," she bit out angrily. "And you're currently trying to destroy mine." She began moving out of the circle of his arms to retrieve the key and Rick suddenly felt cold without her warmth.

As she turned back to unlock the cuffs, Rick asked, "What kind of person has a favorite pair of handcuffs?"

"A cop," she replied tersely, pointing out the obvious. "As a writer, you have a favorite pen, don't you? If you were a teacher you'd probably have a favorite... ruler," she added, shrugging dismissively.

"I can see the logic there, but somehow, having a favorite pair of _handcuffs_ just seems... naughty." Chuckling, and now free of his restraints, Rick rubbed at his wrists as he asked. "So what makes these worthy of being called your favorite pair of handcuffs?"

"They go on nice and easy and they never stick," Kate said dismissively. She fiddled with the cuffs to check out the damage, testing the locking mechanism. She frowned, and then complained, "Well, they never _used_ to stick."

Rick laughed softly at her annoyed face and then took the cuffs from her hands, dropping them off the side of the bed. They made a loud clatter when they landed on the hard wood floor. He moved to take her hands and pull her closer, but Kate resisted when she finally noticed his wrists.

"You're bleeding!" She observed in alarm.

"Not for long," he said dismissively. He pulled on her again, but she didn't move closer, just kept looking at his wrists in concern. So he gave up- for the moment- and told her, "Watch." He held his hands closer to her gaze and Kate watched in fascination as the bruises and abrasions caused by the cuffs rapidly healed before her eyes. In mere minutes, what had once been a seeping wound was barely more than a pinkish scar. Another few seconds and the scar became so pale it blended in perfectly with his skin until Kate couldn't even tell if a scar remained. And not even a drop of his blood was visible anymore.

"That is so cool," Kate breathed in awe. "Do it again."

"I'm not gonna hurt myself just so you can watch it heal!" He said in a tone that made her think he was laughing at her on the inside. "Besides, it makes me thirsty faster, when my body has to heal itself like that."

"Oh," she said simply, then moved to lay on his chest. When she was all settled again, her head tucked under his chin, she wondered aloud, "Are you thirsty _now_?"

"Hmm," he murmured, and Kate heard the sound rumble through his chest. His hands moved up to gently brush his fingertips up and down her back, careful not to pull on the ties still criss-crossing there. "Yes and no."

"You know you're going to have to explain that comment, Ricky. So get to it." She shivered in pleasure at the feel of his hands gently brushing over her skin.

_She called me Ricky_, he thought happily.

_Yes she did_, Kate replied silently, somehow having heard his thought. She wondered briefly what kind of freaky psychic connection they now shared, and then felt Rick's body move when he laughed quietly, almost as if he'd heard that last thought too. _Now get to explaining_, she added impatiently.

"I fed a few hours ago, but those young, hot bodies at the club were making me thirsty again. You know, like when you've just eaten a light lunch and suddenly get hungry again anyway when you smell your favorite food?"

_Hot bodies_? Kate frowned.

Kate could hear the smile in his voice when he clarified, "Temperature hot, not hot-hot. I've been drinking blood that's cold or room temperature and it's okay, but the scent of warm blood is so much more appetizing."

Sighing in mild annoyance nonetheless, Kate said nothing until she felt Rick's fingertips curl beneath the sides of her shirt. "Don't you dare rip this shirt, Castle. I like this shirt."

"Shirt?" He scoffed. "It's more like an apron. Or a red band aide. Besides, you keep ripping my shirts. It's decidedly unfair that you won't let me rip one of yours."

"Shut up, Ricky," she teased, smiling. "You like this shirt too."

Rick grunted, neither as confirmation nor argument, just a mildly annoyed sound. "I like that it shows you off, but I don't like that the rest of New York can see you too."

"The _rest_ of New York?" She asked dubiously. When he didn't answer, just scowled at the ceiling- she assumed, since she didn't lift her own head to look- she tried to mollify him. "Well, the rest of New York may have been able to see, but none of them would have been allowed to touch. That privilege is yours alone." She turned her head to his chest to press a kiss on his collarbone and then settled again.

He sighed in resignation, but Kate knew he was pleased by her attempts to mollify him. His hands kept moving over her back and when they snagged on one of the ties, Castle sighed again, this time in annoyance. "You're wearing too many clothes," he complained petulantly.

Kate secretly smiled and complained right back, "Well, I've been waiting for you to undress me. _Properly_."

"Well, why didn't you say something?" He asked, continuing their 'annoyed' game. "What am I supposed to do, _read your mind_?" He had used the colloquialism thoughtlessly, but when they realized what he'd just said, both of them laughed.

Rick moved his hands to Kate's ribs and pushed, moving her so that she was sitting up over him. Then he took the hem of her top and pulled it over her head, tossing the glittering red scrap to the floor. And then he frowned at her chest. She appeared to be wearing a bra but it was much too thin, there were no straps visible and it appeared as though the cups were adhered to her skin. Rick reached up to touch them, by palming her breasts in both of his hands. "What are these?" He asked.

Kate laughed. "They're breasts, Ricky. And you appear to know what to do with them, so I'm surprised you don't know what they're called."

Rick shook his head, amused. "You know what I meant," he accused. "What are these?" He asked pointedly, as he attempted to pull on a corner of the sticker covering her breasts.

But Kate sucked in a breath of pain between her teeth and flinched away from his touch when he pinched a bit of skin along with the adhesive cloth. "Careful," she warned.

"I'm sorry." He put his palm flat on her again, soothing her pinched skin with his thumb. "Why would you even wear these?"

"I was going out tonight, and I wanted to look hot, but I wasn't going to have the girls moving all over the place. Plus, I was upset, but I'm not the kind of woman who would bring home a strange man because she was angry with the one she actually wanted. So I wore the inconvenient sticky bra."

"No man beside myself is allowed to touch you," Rick practically growled. "You belong to me. Forever."

Kate glared at him skeptically for a long moment, eventually causing Rick to glare back.

"You are mine," he informed her, growling. "And any man who touches you will die. Slowly." Kate laughed, preferring to take his threat as over exaggeration rather than believe he'd actually kill a man for touching her. Though, in her line of work, she should probably know better...

Rick had lightened up a bit, but Kate could still feel the intensity as he took her hips in his hands and squeezed. "Say it," he commanded her. "Admit that you're mine."

Kate cocked an eyebrow at him, not particularly happy about being told- no commanded- what to do. "I'll admit it once you admit that you're _mine_."

Rick looked surprised. Hadn't he already told her a hundred times that his heart, his life, belonged to her? "Of course. How could you question that?"

"You haven't said it," she accused him.

"I have-" he snapped in denial, but cut off. He thought back over their time together, and realized he'd never actually said the words. "Huh," he grunted. "I guess I haven't." Rick let go of her hips, took her hands and pulled. When she was laying flat on top of him, he rolled, hovering over her and moved his hands to frame her face. He gently brushed her hair back and caressed her skin with his fingertips. "I belong to you." He moved to kiss her jawbone, right below her ear. "My life is yours," he added quietly, brushing a second kiss across her cheekbone. "And my heart beats for only you." Rick pulled back then, troubled, as he looked down at her. "As long as you can stand sharing me with my daughter."

Kate glared up at him, making him increasingly nervous. "I won't share you with anyone… else," she added the last impishly, finally smiling up at him. She knew he wasn't as unattached as he liked to appear to the public; his life revolved around his daughter and if Kate wanted to be a part of that, her life would necessarily include Alexis as well. But Kate was definitely okay with that. After spending the last few evenings with her, Kate knew that she would grow to love the girl as much as her father did.

Rick moved to kiss her lips then and Kate continued to smile against his mouth before returning the kiss enthusiastically. They finally got around to removing the rest of their clothes as the kiss intensified. The whole possessive thing didn't seem to bother her as much when Rick at least acknowledged that it went both ways; she belonged to him just as much as he was hers.

Rick's hand was just creeping up her ribs, her breath coming faster and heavier, when his fingertips found the adhesive bra again. For a moment, he didn't let it bother him, just treated it as through it were an actual bra, groping her through it. But he finally pulled away and looked down at her hesitantly.

"I want to try something," he finally began, hesitant. "But it would require just a little bit of mind control."

"What?" She asked, hesitating also. It wasn't that she didn't trust Rick- she _did_, with her life- but the way he was acting set her one edge. Hell, even if he _did_ use mind control on her while they were in bed together, she thought she'd enjoy it just as much as he did. Though, it definitely eased some of her worry that he was asking before he just invaded her mind.

"I want to help you take these off," he explained, drawing one finger around the curve of the sticker covering her breast. "And I want to see if I can do it without letting you feel any of the pain."

"Oh," Kate said, relieved. "Of course! Please try."

Rick smiled wickedly at her- a joyful expression- and he took her hands, stretching them above her head and displaying her chest for his uninterrupted perusal. His hands skimmed back down her arms, but he sent the suggestion to her mind that she was to keep her hands where he left them. And Kate couldn't have moved them then, even if she'd wanted to.

He kissed her mouth, a slow kiss that began gently but quickly intensified until Kate thought they'd start a fire. With all their clothes gone now, it was easy for Kate to wrap one long leg around his waist to hold his body close.

Meanwhile, Rick's hands traveled down her ribs to her hip, then down her thigh. She was so soft and small and warm, Rick found it difficult to believe she could possibly defend herself, let alone take down a guy twice her size. But he had seen her do it, he knew she was strong enough, and Rick loved that strength. He thought he could feel some of Kate's strength as her muscles flexed and tensed under his touch.

His hand finally moved back up her body and directly to her breast. As he gently squeezed her and brushed his thumb over the peak, he spoke directly to her mind. _Feel no pain_, he told her intently. _Feel no pain. Feel only pleasure_.

Kate broke away from his mouth to gasp, "Yes." It was strange for her, but that near constant tension in her shoulders that she'd been carrying for years how relaxed and she felt that small pain no more. Castle kept repeating his two phrases to her mind, as he continued to manually manipulate her body, bringing only the pleasure she felt to the center stage of her mind. Everything else drifted away, behind the scenes and she was soon gasping, panting and moaning in pleasure.

"I love all the little sounds you make, Katie," Rick told her as he took hold of one sticker and began to pull. Instead of the usual sting when the adhesive unwillingly relinquished its hold on her skin, Kate felt... Well, it felt like Rick's tongue, rasping over her skin, warm and gentle and arousing. So as a means of thanking Castle for taking the pain and giving only pleasure, Kate allowed her sounds of pleasure to reach a volume she rarely allowed herself. Her enthusiastic noises she usually reigned in considerably because she was afraid men wouldn't like it; her first boyfriend had complained, so forever afterward she was self conscious. But Rick seemed to love the way she voiced her satisfaction, so for him, she let go of her inhibitions.

Rick buried his face in her neck, kissing below her ear. "You have no idea how sexy it is when you lose control like that. And it's very gratifying to know _I_ caused you to lose control."

She wanted to make a smart aleck retort, but her brain wouldn't focus. And when Rick gently began to remove the other sticker, Kate forgot she'd even intended to speak.

Instead of replacing one sensation for another, this time Rick sent her his own feelings. He showed her what it felt like for him when he cupped her breast in his palm. He let her feel his own body's reaction to her when she began gasping under his touch. And when the peak pebbled under his hand, just calling for his attention, he sent to Kate how much it turned him on to take her into his mouth.

For Kate it was a little bizarre to be able to feel what a man feels when he's touching a woman. In some ways, it was very different from what she felt as a woman, how his body hardened instead of getting wet, but it was similar too. It seemed that all the same things turned both of them on, and the sensations were very comparable. The ache that they both felt for the other was definitely the same, even though they ached for the opposite things; being filled by him, as opposed to filling her.

With their minds connected as they were, Kate knew the three things he desperately wanted at that moment. First and foremost he wanted to make Kate feel good, and it was a very gratifying observation for her. More than his own pleasure, more than taking what he wanted from Kate- who was offering willingly- Rick wanted to give to her and make her feel as good as she always made him feel.

The second thing he wanted, of course, was his own pleasure. He wanted to be buried inside Kate's body, allowing the hot, slippery friction of her center to bring his release. But he wanted Kate to be ready first, so he teased her, kissing all of her neck, face and shoulders he could reach. His hands traversed her body- the sticky bra long gone- and they never ceased as he explored every inch of her. Though she touched him too, she could feel how much he still wanted her. So she reached between their bodies and took hold of him, placing him against her and sending strong mental hints that she wanted him to take her now. At the same time she felt the pleasure of his body filling her, she felt his sensations; what it felt like for him to have her hot, tight body sliding over and squeezing him. Feeling their pleasure doubled as it was, they both nearly lost control right then. But Kate could still feel Castle's third desire, burning just below the surface of his mind where he tried to keep it hidden from Kate. Still, she knew.

The third thing Castle wanted was the taste of her blood. He wanted to penetrate her skin as he penetrated her body and take just a little bit of her into himself. He tried not to, but he recalled the taste of her from when he'd bitten her before. He tried to keep that memory away from Kate, as well as his cravings that were intensifying the longer he stayed wrapped up in her body, afraid that he'd scare her. He would do _anything_ to keep pain from touching his Kate.

No matter that he tried to hide the craving from her, Kate still felt what he Rick was feeling, how he longed for the taste of her on his tongue, her blood filling her body. Instead of scaring her, Kate wanted to know what it was like.

Knowing that she would feel none of the pain at that moment made Kate feel bold. Wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, Kate pulled him close, turned her head to expose her neck and sent Rick images of what she wanted him to do.

Rick pushed away from her though, staring down at her in surprise.

_I don't want to hurt you_, he thought.

_You won't_, she assured.

Rick shook his head, floored.

But Kate turned her head again and urged him closer. _I want you to_, she told him and then found his memory of the taste of her blood. She concentrated on that thought and Castle was no longer able to resist.

Rick began to move his body over hers, pressing into her and pulling back out in a slow sensuous dance, as he leaned his head down to her neck. Kate tensed for a split second but Rick only kissed her pulse point gently. When he ran his tongue along her skin, Kate shivered in pleasure. His hands moved to cover her breasts as he licked her neck again and this time, Kate moaned.

_Feel no pain_, Rick commanded her mind unnecessarily. He knew what he was going to do would normally cause pain, so he was overcompensating by telling her mind just a little too often not to feel pain.

Rick opened his mouth over her skin and sucked gently at her pulse point. He heart beat loud and strong under his tongue and Rick was intoxicated.

_Feel no pain_, he repeated one more time. And finally, slowly, he applied his teeth to her skin. The sharp canines scraped over her and Kate shivered violently in pleasure. She began moving her hips faster under his, moaning when his teeth finally broke the seal of her skin. And again, Rick sent his own sensations to Kate's mind, so that when her blood touched his tongue, Kate's gasps and moans filled the room. Rick groaned against her neck, moving over her faster until he finally had to break away from her, his breath coming too fast to be contained.

The sensations were all too much for Kate. Not only did she feel the usual- her own pleasure, though it was more intense, more emotionally charged than anything she'd ever experienced before- but she could feel Rick's reaction to the taste of her blood and that was incredible too. Added to all of that, she felt Rick's physical sensations. She felt what he felt, the mind blowing pleasure of moving inside her body and how much he _loved_ her. There were too many sensations and they were all so intense. Kate's release, coupled with his, was so violent, she may have screamed but she wasn't too sure about that and before she could really question it, her vision was swimming. A dark wave of bliss rolled over her, turning her vision black and stealing her consciousness. The last thing she registered in her muddled brain was the weight of Rick's body collapsing on top of her, as limp as she felt.

**A/N: So, I was going to just let this story die, because it seemed like I was the only one even interested in it. But I got one review that gave me the motivation I needed to keep working. So, for Minal, I'm actually posting this. Thank you for your support of this story. I know it's not at all what people expect when they look for Castle Fan Fics, but I'm glad you stuck with me on this one. It was too interesting for me not to write it and I knew I wouldn't finish it if I didn't post it.  
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**I know I don't mention too often how much I love and appreciate reviews, but truly I do! I like knowing what readers are thinking, especially when you tell me how much you like my stories! But criticism is helpful too! Plus, reviews really do keep me motivated. :-D Thank you to everyone who has reviewed!  
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	15. Chapter 15

Rick was obviously trying to be quiet, trying not to wake her- yet- but she seemed to have a heightened awareness of him lately. And right now, Rick was getting ready to leave her. Again.

When Kate sat up, she held the sheets over her naked torso and watched Castle as he moved about the room. "You're leaving," she eventually pointed out the obvious, mostly as a means of attracting his attention.

Rick stopped moving and turned to her. "Yeah," he explained. "Crow finally got some solid leads and I'm going to go help him again."

Kate was not the clingy type. She was definitely not the needy type, so she hated some of the things she was feeling just then. But then, she'd never felt this way about someone before. Yes, she loved him, yes she knew two people couldn't spend every waking- or sleeping- moment together, but with Rick she felt possessive, and needy and maybe even a little clingy. _He belongs to me, damn it!_ she thought and the idea made her realize that she had a _right_ to know where Rick was going, and why he was leaving her- yet again- just after they'd made love. She knew that possessive feeling was mutual- it had been there in his words and his thoughts when he'd penetrated her body, both her neck and farther south.

She finally asked him, her voice angry, "And how long until I see you again this time? Five days? A week? Or am I only going to see you when you're horny enough to grace me with your presence?"

He narrowed his eyes on her and snapped, "You _know_ that's not true."

"Do I? How could I know otherwise when the past week can speak for itself?"

Rick moved to sit on the bed beside her, facing her, but didn't touch her. "Please believe me, I'd much rather stay here with you, but I promised Crow I'd help him."

"That's great," Kate said sincerely, getting ready to argue her point. "I can respect the desire to catch a violent attempted murderer, but you and I work better together. And it pisses me off that you left me for three days, and you're about to do it again."

"I'm sorry," he reached over and put his hand on her thigh. "I'll call Crow back and tell him I can't-"

"No!" she snapped, cutting him off. "This is what we _do_. We solve crimes and we catch the bad guy. I wouldn't ask you to stop doing something we both feel compelled to do."

"What do you want me to do then?" he asked, confused.

"Take me with you," she said. Rick began shaking his head, but Kate kept talking. "We work better _together_. Let me help you on this case."

"Kate, _no_," he finally said. When she frowned- obviously angry but maybe even a little hurt- he pulled her onto his lap, holding her close to his chest. "It's too dangerous. These people aren't human. They're stronger than you are and the woman who attacked Crow wouldn't hesitate to kill you. I won't risk you."

Kate tucked her head under his chin and spoke quietly. "Then change me. Make me stronger. Make me like you, and we'll do this together."

Rick was quiet for so long, Kate pulled away from his chest to look up at him. His face was blank with surprise so Kate just waited for him to collect his thoughts, watching his face. "You..." he began, and then stopped. He studied the depths of her eyes and finally asked, "You want to change? To feed on blood and never see the sun?"

"I want to be with you," she confessed. "But as equals. I _won't_ be the helpless child that Big Rick has to take care of. And it would be nice to be a little less fragile, so I can stop wincing every time you try to hold me tight."

Rick pressed his lips to her hair, holding her head in one big hand and tucking her back under his chin. "Crow and I have been looking for a way to reverse this," he told her. "I have you and Alexis to think about and Crow never wanted this. He was doing research for a graphic novel and he happened across an actual vampire. Crow thought he was just a crazy homeless guy, but he turned out to be real. So while we've been tracking down his mother, we've been trying to find a way to reverse this... _infection_."

"Infection?" Kate asked, confused.

"Lanie's been studying her blood and mine, and she says it looks like a bacteria or a virus has infected our bodies, making most of our tissue stronger while feeding on our blood."

"What if there's no way to reverse it?" she asked and then waited a long moment for a response Castle couldn't seem to form. "And even if there is a way to reverse it, we'll go through that together, too."

"You would go through that just to be with me?" Rick asked in wonder.

"That, and to be stronger than you again," she joked.

"You were never stronger than me," Rick scoffed.

"Oh?" Kate challenged, and pulled away to give him a skeptical look. She moved then, rising up on her knees and letting the sheet fall away. When she was straddling his lap, she began pushing his shoulders gently until he was lying back on the bed. She hovered over him, her hands pressing on his chest to keep him down and she gave him a superior look. "I could probably make you do anything I wanted you to."

"Really?" he asked facetiously.

With a wicked smile, she leaned close to his ear and said in a husky voice, "By asking nicely."

When Kate bit his ear, Rick gasped and began laughing. "That's not what I meant by strength."

"Me either," Kate agree, joining in the laughter. "But I want to be as strong- physically- as you are. I want us to be equals."

Rick studied her face critically for a moment, growing serious before he told her, "We'll never be equals, Katie." Kate frowned, obviously confused and wondering what he meant and trying not to feel hurt, knowing he couldn't possibly mean that the way it sounded. So he smiled and concluded, "You'll always be better than me. Smarter than me. Stronger than me- even if you're not physically stronger at the moment."

Kate smiled happily. "You're going to change me then?"

"Are you sure that's what you want?" he asked anxiously.

"I want to be with you," Kate repeated.

"You're going to have to bite me," he told her, still anxious.

"That should be fun," she joked, smiling wickedly. Kate was trying to keep the tone light because if she had to think about it, if she had to acknowledge that she was about to drink someone's blood, she thought she'd be sick. Plus, she'd never intentionally bitten someone hard enough to draw blood before and she didn't really want to start with Rick.

But Rick must have sensed her hesitation because he said, "I could share my craving with you if that would make it easier?"

Kate nodded gratefully, her eyes on Rick's, as he stared up at her intently. When he took a slow, deep breath, Kate thought she could smell what he did. Her own breaths synced with his as he sighed in pleasure. Their next breath was just as deep as the first and on it, Kate scented something unbearably sweet. Warm and moist, the fragrance called to her like siren song, drawing her closer to Rick. She pulled on him until he was sitting up and she quickly yanked off the t-shirt he'd put on while she slept. And then she pushed him back, following him down and pressing her bare chest to his as she buried her face in his neck.

When she inhaled this time, she took in his scent instead of her own transmitted to her by Rick. He smelled warm and spicy and male, and Kate wanted to taste him. She began kissing his neck and when she eventually parted her lips over his skin, she sucked gently at his pulse point.

_I don't want to hurt you_, she admitted as she continued simply to kiss him.

_I'll be okay_, he reassured her, though she could tell he was a little tense too. Rick had to remind himself that he'd heal within minutes before he was able to tease her. "Would you like me to irritate you to the point you'd have no qualms about biting me? I've driven women to a lot more than that in the past."

_I think I'll manage_, Kate replied and there was a rather droll tone to her thoughts then. But she'd heard him remind himself that he'd heal and that was what decided her. Without further warning or thought, she parted her mouth over his skin and bit down hard. His blood filled her mouth and the idea almost made her gag. But then she registered the taste. There was the expected; warm, coppery, salt undertones. But it was sweet too, and Kate was so surprised by the unexpected sweetness that she swallowed and sucked at the wound, drawing more blood from him. It was _so_ good, Kate thought; normal blood didn't taste like that, did it?

Kate kept drinking, trying to pull more and more, but he was already healing and she was getting less and less. The wound was long gone, but Kate was still licking and sucking at his neck when she finally heard his moans. She pulled away, licking her lips, as she looked down at him and saw his eyes close, his face contort as if in pain.

"Are you okay?" she asked, alarmed.

His eyes snapped open as he nodded, "Yes." His hands closed on her hips and Kate noticed that the grip was only slightly uncomfortable, not painful like it had been last night. "I'm fine." He kept nodding. "I'm good." He grasped her hips harder, pulling them down at the same time he thrust his own up into her. "Do it again," he practically moaned as he grinded his denim clad body against her, and Kate gasped when his hardness pressed into her.

Kate was relieved that Rick was responding this way, relieved that he was as turned on as she was because her own reaction had surprised her- and scared her. _What kind of freak gets off on biting someone_? She asked herself.

But Rick responded sardonically, _The same kind of freak who gets off on being bitten_. And then they both laughed.

"I want you to bite me again, Kate."

She only stared at him in surprise for a moment. He really was turned on, she noted as she sat on his groin. And biting him was what had done it.

So she kept staring until he said, "Oh, wait," his eyes lighting up like they did when he had- what he thought was- a good idea. He lifted his hips and Kate rose to her knees to give him room. Rick reached between their bodies and unfastened his pants, pushing them down only far enough to free himself. He held his erection up under her and commanded her, _sit down and_ then _bite me_.

Just yesterday, a command like that would have had her moving to action immediately, the compulsion to obey irresistible. But now, Kate cocked her head to the side to study him and consider. His face was all lit up like a kid on Christmas, with one hand on his groin, the other on her waist, squeezing eagerly. But Kate asked herself, _Do I really want to be the type of woman who gets off on biting her partner while having sex_?

She hesitated long enough that Rick frowned. "What are you thinking? I can't hear you." He sounded confused by that.

"Our lives are changing, aren't they? It'll be like nothing we've ever known."

Rick nodded in agreement and asked, "Are you scared?"

Kate finally smiled and shook her head no. "As long as I get to be with you, I think I'll manage."

When Rick smiled in response, her heart felt light enough, she feared it might float from her chest.

"I can't hear your mind," Rick said, and Kate finally noted an absence in her consciousness. "I don't like it."

Kate focused for a moment, opening herself up to him and when his presence in her mind returned, she felt her own happiness doubled, Rick's thoughts in sync with hers.

_Better_, he concluded contentedly.

Kate smiled and finally sat down on him, taking him inside her body to the hilt and they both gasped in unison.

_Much_, she agreed.

They began moving together, yet Kate still didn't bit him. She waited until he was seconds away from his climax before she leaned down to him and bit down on the curve between his shoulder and his neck. Her own release hit her so hard, there was a roaring sound in her ears... Or was that Rick roaring out his own release?

Whatever that sound was, the pleasure crashed over her so intense, the world turned black once again.

**A/N: I've had a couple questions, and I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to them personally, but I thought I'd explain them here. (I prefer to get back to reviews personally, but this semester is just so chaotic, I technically shouldn't even be writing on fanfiction in the first place :-( So I'm sorry for not getting back to you, I will try during the summer…? Anyway…)**

**So, my explanation: In **_**my**_** vampire world, one must ingest infected blood in order to become a vampire - I read too much Anne R ice as a teen. So Kate won't be turned by letting Rick drink her blood. But it has to be more than a certain amount of blood in order to affect a change. Too little might make for a healthier-than-average human, or in Lanie's case, heal severe physical wounds, but won't change the person, because there wasn't **_**enough**_** blood exchanged. Rick and Kate can hear each other's so well because they are a 'mated pair.' **

**I hope you'll forgive me if that's not entirely logical, but I had to find a way to make my vampires unique from the myriad of other stories out there about them. Plus, this is a work of fiction, so it doesn't have to be 100% logical, right? The fun is in the fantasy and fantasy is never totally **_**logical**_**. AND, a couple chapters wouldn't have been possible if Rick were unable to bite Kate without major consequences. All right, I'm done rambling. I just love this story and I wanted to explain for the lovely people out there still reading it. You make my day when you review this story, honestly! Your encouraging reviews= happy day for me!**

**Love, Johnny (did you know that can be a girl's name too? It can! It is… ;-D)**


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